Family pics

Us with Papa and Mimi













Us with Grammy Tess and Auntie Sulie












Grammy Tess with Kaden and Morgan














"Thank you Mimi for my cute outfit!"













Hangin' with Papa

A Very Merry Christmas!!

What a special Christmas we had!! Papa and Mimi drove all the way down from Oregon and we all spent the weekend at Grammy Tess and Sulie's house. Uncle Mike, Auntie Stef and Morgan came over to celebrate with us too! It was such a great time. The only thing missing was my Dad. It was kinda tough for me not having him there... although I know he was there in spirit. After losing a loved one, it really has made me cherish the precious, special moments we have with one another and not take them for granted. It was so special for Kaden to have his Grammy, Mimi and Papa there. He got lots of lovin'!! It was also nice for Mommy to be able to socialize with adults and have a little break! One night Kyle and Papa even watched Kaden so Grammy, Mimi and I got to go check out the new Red Hawk Casino for a few hours! Too bad we didn't win anything but it was definitley a good time! We also had fun over the weekend playing games, eating a ton, and just enjoying each other's company. I must admit, with our situation having to keep Kaden away from crowds, I wasn' t able to get out to do much Christmas shopping or get too caught up in the madness of it all. I actually was glad I got to miss out on this part and it reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas. It is not about material things but about family, love, and giving to others from within yourself. Ok..ok...enough of my rambling! Anyhow, thank you Papa and Mimi for driving down in the crazy weather and for spending time with us!! We miss you already! Thank you Grammy for hosting all of us. There is no place like home on Christmas!

Kaden got his first Tonka Truck!














Santa's little helper!!


















"What are you guys doing to me now???"













"Morgan....aren't you just soooo excited about our first Christmas together!!! I can't wait to open all these presents!"













Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kaden loves his bath time!!

Buddies...

Last week my dear friend Emily and her son Spencer came to visit so Kaden and Spencer could meet! Spencer was born on November 13th. The boys slept most of the day but we all went on a nice long walk together since the weather was sunny. It was such a nice visit and good to communicate with someone else who is sleep deprived like me...... since my brain isn't working too well lately!







It looks like Kaden is knocking Spencer out! I know he is a fighter..... but hopefully not this kind! :) I'm sure this is just the beginning of their wrestling matches!













Kaden finally doesn't look small to us anymore!

Big guy!

Kaden has changed sooo much in the last couple of weeks! He is growing so fast now! He will be 4 months old chronologically tomorrow and 7 weeks his adjusted age. He had his second Synagis shot today (it was awful and I was holding back tears to see him go through more pain! The needle for this is a big one!) He weighed in at 12 lbs 13 oz. and is 22 1/2 inches long! He no longer fits in his newborn clothes! It is just amazing to watch him change overnight. Anyhow...thought I would give you all a quick update since I haven't for a while. So on Tuesday we had a worker come out from the Alta California Regional Center Early Start Program. This is a program that serves children from birth to 3 years old who have suspected or identified special needs. Kaden qualified because he was so premature. The social worker at the hospital was supposed to refer us but that referal never went through so I took it upon myself!! Basically this program provides us with monitoring of Kaden's overall development. The worker came to our house and did a developmental assessment of Kaden. We set some goals and she will come out again in 6 months (or sooner if needed) to see if he is meeting the goals. If not, she can connect us with the appropriate service providers, etc. Right now Kaden appears developmentally on target so that is great! I just figured it would be beneficial to have another set of eyes monitoring his progress. You can never have too many resources! Our worker actually has a very similiar background to mine...she has a degree in Child Development and her Master's in Social Work just like myself! Speaking of work....I don't know if I ever mentioned that I recently resigned from my job as a social worker working in foster care/adoptions. I was supposed to return to work on November 4th but instead, I have taken on the new career of being a mommy! It is the best job ever and I am loving every minute of it! With Kaden's health being at risk we couldn't put him day care. Even if we could, I couldn't imagine leaving him so soon after having to leave him in the NICU for 32 days. Anyhow, I do miss my job.... especially my co-workers. They are an amazing group of fabulous, caring, and dedicated women working with great compassion to create families for very special children in need of great love.

Ok...this is probably a good enough update for now....oh yeah...I forgot to mention that after Kyle returned from his visit to Oregon he ended up being sick. :( Kaden and I picked him up from the airport Sunday evening after spending Thanksgiving down at my mom and brothers. Monday morning Kyle still felt awful so Kaden and I went back to Grammy Tess' for the week. It was so nice spending time down there but I felt so awful leaving Kyle all alone while he was sick! It was horrible! Luckily Kaden or I didn't get sick (after a through disinfecting of the house!)

Being Grateful

During this time of holiday season, it often brings a time of reflection and thankfulness. I just wanted to share how thankful I feel for being blessed with Kaden and the progress he continues to make. He truly amazes me everyday. I also want to thank all of you for continually being there for us. We really wouldn't have made it through without all the love and support we have had. I wanted to share these clips just to show how much our little boy has changed in just a few months. Sometimes it is hard for me to look back at his pictures when he was in the NICU. Lately I can't look at them without shedding a tear because at the time, when we were going through everything, I was in "survival mode". I didn't realize the extent of how tiny and fragile he was. I just had to be strong for him. As I look at how far he has come now, I realize how truly blessed I am for having him as my special gift.