Saturday, January 25, 2014
Alice Rose
We would like to announce that we are now the proud aunt and uncle of a precious baby girl! James' older brother Jon and his wife Claire welcomed their daughter, Alice Rose Wentzel, into the world on January 23rd. She is nice and petite, weighing in at 6 lbs 3 oz. So far she is very mellow. We got to skype with them last night (4 am their time) and are in love with our tiny niece already. I wish we could be there in person to snuggle with her and marvel at how much smaller she is than Kaden ever was. But, for now, we'll have to settle for video chats like everyone else. Perhaps we'll make a trip to Portugal next year to get the little cousins together!
Starting Solids
This past week, Kaden reached another mega milestone. He has started eating solid food purees! He's been eating rice and oatmeal infant cereal for over a month. But this was the week when we let him have his first taste of what we call "big people food." Claire sent me a great cookbook and some tools to help me make baby food from scratch. So I put those to use and roasted some yams for Kaden's first meal.
He is such a voracious eater and will usually suck down anything I put in his mouth - even medicine! - so I didn't really expect any problems introducing solids. His first time went very smoothly. He took several bites without making a face or spitting the food out. However, I think he may have been a little distracted by the camera daddy was holding in front of his face so he couldn't really process what was going on. Over the next three days he made some very funny faces when I tried to spoon the yams into his mouth. He wouldn't fight it or spit it out. But he made a face like it was really sour - or like he didn't care for my cooking but didn't want to be rude. Haha! But now it's been five or six days since we started introducing veggie purees and he seems to be used to it and enjoys it!
This morning, we tried a new food - roasted butternut squash. It's possible that it's so similar to the yams that he didn't notice a difference. But he ate the whole serving with relish and would have liked more if I had it. Once we give the squash its required 3-4 day test period (to make sure he's not allergic before introducing another new food), we'll try something a little more different - maybe carrots or peas!
We are so proud of our growing boy and how willing he is to try new things. We shall see how long this trend lasts!
He is such a voracious eater and will usually suck down anything I put in his mouth - even medicine! - so I didn't really expect any problems introducing solids. His first time went very smoothly. He took several bites without making a face or spitting the food out. However, I think he may have been a little distracted by the camera daddy was holding in front of his face so he couldn't really process what was going on. Over the next three days he made some very funny faces when I tried to spoon the yams into his mouth. He wouldn't fight it or spit it out. But he made a face like it was really sour - or like he didn't care for my cooking but didn't want to be rude. Haha! But now it's been five or six days since we started introducing veggie purees and he seems to be used to it and enjoys it!
This morning, we tried a new food - roasted butternut squash. It's possible that it's so similar to the yams that he didn't notice a difference. But he ate the whole serving with relish and would have liked more if I had it. Once we give the squash its required 3-4 day test period (to make sure he's not allergic before introducing another new food), we'll try something a little more different - maybe carrots or peas!
 | |
| Roasted butternut squash puree, pre-portioned and ready for the freezer. Look at that color! |
Friday, January 24, 2014
Sleepless in Osan
Alright, I think I got enough sleep last night that I finally have the mental presence to write this...
Years before we were ready to have kids, a great Christian friend urged us to pray very specifically over our child when the time came. Not just for a happy, healthy baby, but for specific traits that matter to us. (No harm in asking, right?) We put a lot of thought into our supplications as we were expecting Kaden - trying to cover every part of him in prayer. One of the things we asked for was a good eater, because I've watched many moms struggle to get their kids to eat enough healthy food. But somehow, we failed to ask for a good sleeper. That in combination with his voracious appetite has made my life a waking nightmare for the last couple months.
Kaden has always been an irregular napper, but at least for the first 3 months he slept soundly at night. I'd often have to go in and wake him up to eat at the appropriate intervals. We were tired, but overall we thought we'd left the sleepless nights behind.
Then, we went back to the States at the end of November, and suddenly our 8 hours of sleep a night were over. First he was jet lagged. Then he hit what they call the 4 month sleep regression. Then we decided to try and transition him into sleeping in his crib at night. Plus, I seemed to have an inability to provide all of the calories he needed during the day which forced him to wake up demanding food multiple times a night. All these factors, plus a host of bad habits we'd established early on formed a perfect storm of sleep challenges that we just couldn't cope with.
He refused to nap for more than 30-40 minutes at a time during the day, which was never long enough for me to nap. Then at night, he wouldn't go to bed till very late and would wake up every 2 hours after that, screaming inconsolably till I fed him. That meant that neither of us were getting nearly as much sleep as we needed. (Babies his age are supposed to get 12-14 hours of sleep a day and he was MAYBE getting 8). I was also forced to give him a full feeding at least 10 times a day, which my body just couldn't handle. I thought maybe he would eventually get over it - but after weeks with no improvement, I was desperate for help.
I took him to the doctor to ask her if she thought he really needed to be eating that much at night, or if it was more a behavioral problem. She said that his growth is still slowing down and that he does seem to need more calories during the day. However, she didn't think he needed to be getting them at night. She recommended we start him on solids to help fill him up, then try our best to get him in the habit of going back to sleep without being fed.
I realized that we had no idea how to coax him back to sleep. So I sent out an S.O.S. to my mommy friends. They had all kinds of advice and recommended various books and products, claiming each one was the secret to their children's sleeping success. The best resource we found was The Baby Whisperer. The British best-selling child expert recommended a gentle but firm method to sleep train your baby without forcing him to cry it out on his own. Through her book, we realized that we were enabling him in his bad habits and learned a lot about how to handle a baby with Kaden's personality.
He is a spirited baby, which means that he fights sleep because he doesn't want to miss out and easily overdoes it or gets overstimulated, making it very difficult for him to wind down at the end of the day. So we changed up his bedtime routine, do our best to keep him calm and relaxed in the late afternoon/early evening, and try to keep his room as dark as possible as we coax him to sleep, thereby removing all visual stimuli and distractions. This, combined with feeding him cereal to keep him full at night has made it considerably easier to put him to bed earlier in the evening.
That's a major victory. However, he still wakes up frequently and refuses to put himself back down without being fed. The Baby Whisperer recommended what she calls the "Pick-up/Put-Down" method to teach babies to go to sleep on their own. Essentially, you pick them up and soothe them till they stop crying, then immediately put them back down instead of rocking them to sleep. Repeat as many as 50-100 times if necessary until they get the message that you are there to support them, but they have to put themselves to sleep. This seemed to work the first couple of nights and so Kaden was sleeping longer stretches of time and I didn't have to feed him quite as frequently.
Then all progress stopped. The PU/PD method only works if babies stop crying when they get picked up. But Kaden screams and arches his back if I pick him up but don't feed him. He won't let us put the pacifier in his mouth and swats our hands away if we try to stroke him or hold his hands to help him calm down. He doesn't respond to swaying, rocking, bouncing, singing or shushing. Changing his diaper makes no difference. He will fight us, for over an hour, until I give in and feed him. But then once I do that, he immediately relaxes and will put himself to sleep.
All this to say, things are better than they were, but we are still struggling with "sleep training" and I am still exhausted most of the time. Sleep training is incredibly frustrating. Every person and every book gives you contradictory advice and it's really hard not to feel like a failure as you oscillate between trying to establish good habits for the future and doing what it takes to survive in the present.
A friend shared a blog post with me that sums up my sleep training woes. It illustrates the overload of contradictory information we parents are currently faced with as we desperately try to get our little ones to sleep. Here is an excerpt:
I'm realizing (too late, I'm afraid) that worldly wisdom only goes so far... Yes, I would love for Kaden to learn to put himself to sleep at night. However, I think it's better for our physical and emotional health and the bond of trust between us if I comfort him as he wants to be comforted. Until we're confidant he's getting the calories he needs in order to keep growing at a healthy rate, I'm not going to deny him food when he's screaming for it and clawing at my front. Now that we've got him to the point where he's only waking up about 3 times a night and doesn't really need to be fed more than twice to go back to sleep, I think that's manageable - for now.
We'd appreciate some prayers for continued guidance and patience as we try and make progress in the right direction from now on. Maybe by this time next year I can get an uninterrupted night's sleep. ;^) Till then, I'll try to treasure my midnight snuggle sessions with my squirmy little man and remember that he won't be this small and need my help for much longer. Every season has its blessings and its challenges. And when it all seems too much, I just have to remind myself over and over again: "This, too, shall pass... This, too, shall pass... This, too, shall pass..."
Years before we were ready to have kids, a great Christian friend urged us to pray very specifically over our child when the time came. Not just for a happy, healthy baby, but for specific traits that matter to us. (No harm in asking, right?) We put a lot of thought into our supplications as we were expecting Kaden - trying to cover every part of him in prayer. One of the things we asked for was a good eater, because I've watched many moms struggle to get their kids to eat enough healthy food. But somehow, we failed to ask for a good sleeper. That in combination with his voracious appetite has made my life a waking nightmare for the last couple months.
Kaden has always been an irregular napper, but at least for the first 3 months he slept soundly at night. I'd often have to go in and wake him up to eat at the appropriate intervals. We were tired, but overall we thought we'd left the sleepless nights behind.
Then, we went back to the States at the end of November, and suddenly our 8 hours of sleep a night were over. First he was jet lagged. Then he hit what they call the 4 month sleep regression. Then we decided to try and transition him into sleeping in his crib at night. Plus, I seemed to have an inability to provide all of the calories he needed during the day which forced him to wake up demanding food multiple times a night. All these factors, plus a host of bad habits we'd established early on formed a perfect storm of sleep challenges that we just couldn't cope with.
He refused to nap for more than 30-40 minutes at a time during the day, which was never long enough for me to nap. Then at night, he wouldn't go to bed till very late and would wake up every 2 hours after that, screaming inconsolably till I fed him. That meant that neither of us were getting nearly as much sleep as we needed. (Babies his age are supposed to get 12-14 hours of sleep a day and he was MAYBE getting 8). I was also forced to give him a full feeding at least 10 times a day, which my body just couldn't handle. I thought maybe he would eventually get over it - but after weeks with no improvement, I was desperate for help.
I took him to the doctor to ask her if she thought he really needed to be eating that much at night, or if it was more a behavioral problem. She said that his growth is still slowing down and that he does seem to need more calories during the day. However, she didn't think he needed to be getting them at night. She recommended we start him on solids to help fill him up, then try our best to get him in the habit of going back to sleep without being fed.
I realized that we had no idea how to coax him back to sleep. So I sent out an S.O.S. to my mommy friends. They had all kinds of advice and recommended various books and products, claiming each one was the secret to their children's sleeping success. The best resource we found was The Baby Whisperer. The British best-selling child expert recommended a gentle but firm method to sleep train your baby without forcing him to cry it out on his own. Through her book, we realized that we were enabling him in his bad habits and learned a lot about how to handle a baby with Kaden's personality.
He is a spirited baby, which means that he fights sleep because he doesn't want to miss out and easily overdoes it or gets overstimulated, making it very difficult for him to wind down at the end of the day. So we changed up his bedtime routine, do our best to keep him calm and relaxed in the late afternoon/early evening, and try to keep his room as dark as possible as we coax him to sleep, thereby removing all visual stimuli and distractions. This, combined with feeding him cereal to keep him full at night has made it considerably easier to put him to bed earlier in the evening.
That's a major victory. However, he still wakes up frequently and refuses to put himself back down without being fed. The Baby Whisperer recommended what she calls the "Pick-up/Put-Down" method to teach babies to go to sleep on their own. Essentially, you pick them up and soothe them till they stop crying, then immediately put them back down instead of rocking them to sleep. Repeat as many as 50-100 times if necessary until they get the message that you are there to support them, but they have to put themselves to sleep. This seemed to work the first couple of nights and so Kaden was sleeping longer stretches of time and I didn't have to feed him quite as frequently.
Then all progress stopped. The PU/PD method only works if babies stop crying when they get picked up. But Kaden screams and arches his back if I pick him up but don't feed him. He won't let us put the pacifier in his mouth and swats our hands away if we try to stroke him or hold his hands to help him calm down. He doesn't respond to swaying, rocking, bouncing, singing or shushing. Changing his diaper makes no difference. He will fight us, for over an hour, until I give in and feed him. But then once I do that, he immediately relaxes and will put himself to sleep.
All this to say, things are better than they were, but we are still struggling with "sleep training" and I am still exhausted most of the time. Sleep training is incredibly frustrating. Every person and every book gives you contradictory advice and it's really hard not to feel like a failure as you oscillate between trying to establish good habits for the future and doing what it takes to survive in the present.
A friend shared a blog post with me that sums up my sleep training woes. It illustrates the overload of contradictory information we parents are currently faced with as we desperately try to get our little ones to sleep. Here is an excerpt:
"You shouldn’t sleep train at all, before a year, before 6 months, or before 4 months, but if you wait too late, your baby will never be able to sleep without you. College-aged children never need to be nursed, rocked, helped to sleep, so don’t worry about any bad habits. Nursing, rocking, singing, swaddling, etc to sleep are all bad habits and should be stopped immediately.See what I mean? Every expert speaks in absolutes, but they all contradict each other. I've decided that my generation of parents are all a little too concerned with being "great parents" and just end up stressing ourselves and our babies out as we try to force them to conform to a certain philosophy. Our desperation for information has created a huge market for books on sleep training. Each expert tries to sell you on their preferred method - but really, trying to get a baby to sleep through the night is a total guessing game.
Naps should only be taken in the bed, never in a swing, car seat, stroller, or when worn. Letting them sleep in the car seat or swing will damage their skulls. If your baby has trouble falling asleep in the bed, put them in a swing, car seat, stroller, or wear them. Use the crib only for sleep and keep it free of distractions. If the baby is having trouble adjusting to the crib, have them play in it first. If the baby wakes up at night and wants to play, put fun toys in the crib to distract them.
Put the baby in a nursery, bed in your room, in your bed. Co-sleeping is the best way to get sleep, except that it can kill your baby, so never, ever do it. If your baby doesn't die, you will need to bed-share until college...
Don’t let your baby sleep too long, except when they’ve been napping too much, then you should wake them. Never wake a sleeping baby. Any baby problem can be solved by putting them to bed earlier, even if they are waking up too early. If your baby wakes up too early, put them to bed later or cut out a nap. Don’t let them nap after 5 p.m. Sleep begets sleep, so try to get your child to sleep as much as possible. Put the baby to bed awake but drowsy. Don't wake the baby if it fell asleep while nursing."
I'm realizing (too late, I'm afraid) that worldly wisdom only goes so far... Yes, I would love for Kaden to learn to put himself to sleep at night. However, I think it's better for our physical and emotional health and the bond of trust between us if I comfort him as he wants to be comforted. Until we're confidant he's getting the calories he needs in order to keep growing at a healthy rate, I'm not going to deny him food when he's screaming for it and clawing at my front. Now that we've got him to the point where he's only waking up about 3 times a night and doesn't really need to be fed more than twice to go back to sleep, I think that's manageable - for now.
We'd appreciate some prayers for continued guidance and patience as we try and make progress in the right direction from now on. Maybe by this time next year I can get an uninterrupted night's sleep. ;^) Till then, I'll try to treasure my midnight snuggle sessions with my squirmy little man and remember that he won't be this small and need my help for much longer. Every season has its blessings and its challenges. And when it all seems too much, I just have to remind myself over and over again: "This, too, shall pass... This, too, shall pass... This, too, shall pass..."
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Kaden 5 Month Update
Wow. I feel like almost no time has passed since my last update. I'm sure part of that is how late that last one was posted... But still, I cannot emphasize enough how fast time is flying! Kaden is 5 months old and ALL BOY. He loves to "rough house" with James (mostly involving lots of growling, tickling and airplane lifts), and will playfully or aggressively kick and swat at anything that comes within reach of his limbs (namely his mother). He loves to show us what a tough guy he is by fully extending his arms and legs, tightening up his little muscles and grunting. The other day I was cleaning out his nose with our nasal aspirator. Something got stuck in it so as I was trying to squeeze it out, the bulb started making tooting noises, sending Kaden into a fit of giggles. What a funny guy.
He's barely mobile yet, but I can already tell he's going to be one of those kids who is into everything. He's very curious and tries very hard to grab anything he can out of my hands. Bonus points if he can get his prize into his mouth before I take it away. He's particularly interested in my water bottle and my phone. Above, you can see us playing tug-of-war with the TV remote.
He's definitely getting stronger and starting to move around more. This month he rolled over from his back to his front for the first time! He rolls all over his crib at night and never ends up in the same spot. I had to order a breathable mesh bumper for him because he intentionally tries to roll up next to his current one and press his face into it before falling asleep. If he's awake, he tries to pull it down or chew on it. He loves his play mat which has lots of interactive toys hanging over it. Sometimes I'll set him down on it so he stays entertained while I cook or do dishes in the next room. The other day, Kaden proved we can no longer leave him alone. He'd wriggled diagonally so that he could kick the plastic arches that hold up the toys, and successfully brought the entire apparatus (gently) crashing down on top of himself. He didn't even cry. When I found him, he was lying wrapped in the toppled contraption like a child-sized burrito and grunting with manly pride at the destruction he'd wrought. *sigh* We are so in for it.
Since he's getting stronger, we're starting to work on teaching him to sit up. He's still too top-heavy to sit unsupported. But with the help of this floor seat we borrowed, he can stay upright for a while without our help. Right now I have to sit in front of him and monitor his time in the seat - not because he's not big enough to use it properly, but because he loses interest after a couple of minutes and bends over so he can suck on the edges of the chair. That is not only messy, it's not helpful in reaching our end goal of sitting up. Good thing he's so cute!
When he gets bored of the floor seat, we put him in the jumperoo we borrowed from another friend. The activity table is suspended on springs so he can push off of the ground and bounce while playing with his toys. At first, he was too small for it. But now that his toes touch the ground, he loves throwing his weight around. It's a great way to keep him occupied and get out some of his boundless energy!
We've also decided to really start limiting the amount of time the TV is on when he's awake. First of all, he's a little too aware of it and I want him to develop the ability to play independently and be creative instead of depending on a boob tube for entertainment. Also, I think it overstimulates him and makes it really difficult for him to fall asleep at night. (More on our sleep battles in another blog...) However, I did let him watch part of the Broncos vs. Chargers play off game this weekend. He was very excited by the outcome!
I took Kaden in to see the pediatrician recently because he had a bad cold, and I wanted some guidance since we've been having such a hard time getting him to sleep at night. (Again, I'll go more into detail about that in another blog.) While we were there, the doctor weighed him in at just over 14 pounds. He's growing and gaining weight, but still at a slower rate than the doctor would like. I was baffled and frustrated by that discovery. Since he wakes up and fusses so much during the night, I'd been giving him a full feed 10 times a day (almost twice as much as he should be getting), and he's still not really gaining weight. After examining him, she said she noticed a slight heart murmur. She says it's probably not anything to be worried about, and she's comfortable waiting until his 6 month check-up to investigate further. But if his heart is working harder, that could be where many of his calories are going.
As a result, she suggested we move full steam ahead with solid foods. After his 4 month check-up we slowly started feeding him infant rice cereal from a spoon to give him some extra calories and get him used to eating like a big boy. He loves it! He often tries to help me spoon the cereal into his mouth and yells at me to hurry up if I take more than a couple seconds scooping up the next bite. I know he will enjoy eating more this coming month, since he's always angry when I announce we're "all done". He is fascinated by anything we're eating, and actually gets upset if he sees us eating out of a bowl and we don't share it with him. We plan to try his first pureed meal this weekend. I'll be sure to share that video! Below is one James took soon after we introduced the rice cereal. You can see him trying to take control of the process! Such a smart and coordinated little guy!
Looking back over what I've written, I realize that this post sounds a bit negative. With the exception of these new, more assertive and masculine traits, Kaden is still our sweet and happy little man most of the time. He is a mega flirt and loves smiling at anyone who stops to engage with him. Laughs are still few and far between, but his daddy seems to know just how to make him giggle. He loves it when you sing to him and often makes a high pitched cooing noise back. We read him stories every day and he loves to try and turn the pages and sometimes babbles away like he's trying to tell me a story. I play along and ask him what comes next. I can't wait till he starts talking, because I'm sure he has so many interesting things to say!
He's finally starting to outgrow his 3 month clothes so I had to get some shots of him in his Christmas suit before it goes in storage. Also, he has quite a collection of adorable winter hats now so, for his 5 month photo shoot, I decided to go with a January winter theme and get a few snapshots of him in his bear aviator hat. Prepare to be overwhelmed with cuteness!
He's barely mobile yet, but I can already tell he's going to be one of those kids who is into everything. He's very curious and tries very hard to grab anything he can out of my hands. Bonus points if he can get his prize into his mouth before I take it away. He's particularly interested in my water bottle and my phone. Above, you can see us playing tug-of-war with the TV remote.
He's definitely getting stronger and starting to move around more. This month he rolled over from his back to his front for the first time! He rolls all over his crib at night and never ends up in the same spot. I had to order a breathable mesh bumper for him because he intentionally tries to roll up next to his current one and press his face into it before falling asleep. If he's awake, he tries to pull it down or chew on it. He loves his play mat which has lots of interactive toys hanging over it. Sometimes I'll set him down on it so he stays entertained while I cook or do dishes in the next room. The other day, Kaden proved we can no longer leave him alone. He'd wriggled diagonally so that he could kick the plastic arches that hold up the toys, and successfully brought the entire apparatus (gently) crashing down on top of himself. He didn't even cry. When I found him, he was lying wrapped in the toppled contraption like a child-sized burrito and grunting with manly pride at the destruction he'd wrought. *sigh* We are so in for it.
Since he's getting stronger, we're starting to work on teaching him to sit up. He's still too top-heavy to sit unsupported. But with the help of this floor seat we borrowed, he can stay upright for a while without our help. Right now I have to sit in front of him and monitor his time in the seat - not because he's not big enough to use it properly, but because he loses interest after a couple of minutes and bends over so he can suck on the edges of the chair. That is not only messy, it's not helpful in reaching our end goal of sitting up. Good thing he's so cute!
When he gets bored of the floor seat, we put him in the jumperoo we borrowed from another friend. The activity table is suspended on springs so he can push off of the ground and bounce while playing with his toys. At first, he was too small for it. But now that his toes touch the ground, he loves throwing his weight around. It's a great way to keep him occupied and get out some of his boundless energy!
We've also decided to really start limiting the amount of time the TV is on when he's awake. First of all, he's a little too aware of it and I want him to develop the ability to play independently and be creative instead of depending on a boob tube for entertainment. Also, I think it overstimulates him and makes it really difficult for him to fall asleep at night. (More on our sleep battles in another blog...) However, I did let him watch part of the Broncos vs. Chargers play off game this weekend. He was very excited by the outcome!
I took Kaden in to see the pediatrician recently because he had a bad cold, and I wanted some guidance since we've been having such a hard time getting him to sleep at night. (Again, I'll go more into detail about that in another blog.) While we were there, the doctor weighed him in at just over 14 pounds. He's growing and gaining weight, but still at a slower rate than the doctor would like. I was baffled and frustrated by that discovery. Since he wakes up and fusses so much during the night, I'd been giving him a full feed 10 times a day (almost twice as much as he should be getting), and he's still not really gaining weight. After examining him, she said she noticed a slight heart murmur. She says it's probably not anything to be worried about, and she's comfortable waiting until his 6 month check-up to investigate further. But if his heart is working harder, that could be where many of his calories are going.
As a result, she suggested we move full steam ahead with solid foods. After his 4 month check-up we slowly started feeding him infant rice cereal from a spoon to give him some extra calories and get him used to eating like a big boy. He loves it! He often tries to help me spoon the cereal into his mouth and yells at me to hurry up if I take more than a couple seconds scooping up the next bite. I know he will enjoy eating more this coming month, since he's always angry when I announce we're "all done". He is fascinated by anything we're eating, and actually gets upset if he sees us eating out of a bowl and we don't share it with him. We plan to try his first pureed meal this weekend. I'll be sure to share that video! Below is one James took soon after we introduced the rice cereal. You can see him trying to take control of the process! Such a smart and coordinated little guy!
Looking back over what I've written, I realize that this post sounds a bit negative. With the exception of these new, more assertive and masculine traits, Kaden is still our sweet and happy little man most of the time. He is a mega flirt and loves smiling at anyone who stops to engage with him. Laughs are still few and far between, but his daddy seems to know just how to make him giggle. He loves it when you sing to him and often makes a high pitched cooing noise back. We read him stories every day and he loves to try and turn the pages and sometimes babbles away like he's trying to tell me a story. I play along and ask him what comes next. I can't wait till he starts talking, because I'm sure he has so many interesting things to say!
He's finally starting to outgrow his 3 month clothes so I had to get some shots of him in his Christmas suit before it goes in storage. Also, he has quite a collection of adorable winter hats now so, for his 5 month photo shoot, I decided to go with a January winter theme and get a few snapshots of him in his bear aviator hat. Prepare to be overwhelmed with cuteness!
 |
| Obligatory baseball shot |
 |
| Most accurate portrait of the day. Don't worry, I washed the ball before I gave it to him! |
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
2013 Year End Review
This year we had a quiet New Year's Eve at home thanks to our infant's sleep problems. Even though it was just the three of us and we intended to go to bed as soon as Kaden would allow, I wanted to find some way to celebrate. We made a nice dinner and watched a movie. Then James and I took some time to reflect on the year and pick out some of our favorite memories.
It's been such an eventful year, spread out across three different countries and multiple phases of life. So instead of naming one or two favorites, I focused on picking a favorite memory or two from each month. Below is a chronological list of some of my favorite moments from 2013!
Over all, it was a great year! A lot of it revolved around my
pregnancy and our transition into parenthood. We look forward to branching out a bit and living a life that's
not so baby-centric. James is starting a new job as the head of training
with the Operations Support Squadron here on base, and hopes to start
his Instructor Pilot upgrade soon. I am facilitating a Bible study
on Acts for the Protestant Women of the Chapel and am praying about
whether or not to take on a leadership position with them this coming
year. We hope to continue traveling, too. Who knows where we'll end up next, so we want to take advantage of overseas tourism opportunities while we're here. Possible destinations include Denali National Park in Alaska (while James is at Red Flag), Maui, Australia or Thailand!
We are so incredibly blessed and look forward to all the ways the Lord continues to guide and challenge us in the future!
It's been such an eventful year, spread out across three different countries and multiple phases of life. So instead of naming one or two favorites, I focused on picking a favorite memory or two from each month. Below is a chronological list of some of my favorite moments from 2013!
JANUARY
 |
| We got to see Kaden move in an ultrasound for the first time and announced the pregnancy to friends! |
FEBRUARY
 |
| Final vacation in Japan, exploring the frozen wonders of the Sapporo Ice Festival |
MARCH
This was a huge month of transition, so there was no way to narrow it down to just 1...
 |
| Wrapped up my ministry with the youth at Misawa AB Chapel |
 |
| Said farewell to the Samurai and left Japan |
Drove cross country and spent time with family and friends.
APRIL
 |
| Enjoyed a reunion with close friends while James was at SOS in Montgomery, AL |
 |
| Rockin' out with Nate's band at the Belmont Best of the Best Showcase |
MAY
This was another mega month as we took one more big cross country roadtrip to say farewell to Stateside family and friends, then made the big move to South Korea!
JUNE
 |
| I started making friends with the ladies in the squadron and enjoyed several fun social events |
 |
| Jon and Claire hosted a combined baby shower for us and the Cienski's |
JULY
 |
| July involved much waiting, eating and touring around Seoul as we waited for Kaden's arrival |
 |
| We particularly enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July with a progressive dinner in Seoul with the Wentzels and Cienskis |
AUGUST
 |
| Of course - best memory of the year was the long awaited arrival of our little man |
 |
| We'll always remember how he was one of three baby Fiends born within 36 hours! |
SEPTEMBER
The end of August and September brought some doting grandparents to the ROK!
OCTOBER
 |
| I became a named Fiendette at our Duck Dynasty themed Show of Colors |
 |
| We celebrated Kaden's first Halloween at a 1920's themed murder mystery party |
NOVEMBER
 |
| Kaden's first trip back to America to spend time with our family! |
DECEMBER
 |
| Celebrating Kaden's first Christmas! |
We are so incredibly blessed and look forward to all the ways the Lord continues to guide and challenge us in the future!
A Tree Full of Memories
As I was taking down our Christmas tree this year, I reflected on how my favorite ornaments are not merely decorative, but mean something. We have several that we've collected from our travels. We also have several from our parents that represent family past and present. Here are a few of my favorites:
Our Christmas tree is the center of our home during the holidays, and it's only fitting that the whole thing is covered in special memories from our lives together. I look forward to sharing many of these stories with Kaden as he grows up!
 |
| Antique that has been passed down through my mother's family |
A few of my favorites from my childhood
 |
| At least half of our ornaments are gifts from James' mom. They always remind us of her! |
 |
| Representative of our marriage. We need to get one for Kaden's first year! |
There are several from our travels and overseas homes:
 |
| A Kiwi from New Zealand |
 |
| A shell from Hawaii |
Glass float and Japanese crane representing our time at Misawa
Plus some squadron pride!
Our Christmas tree is the center of our home during the holidays, and it's only fitting that the whole thing is covered in special memories from our lives together. I look forward to sharing many of these stories with Kaden as he grows up!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)