Kaden Robert 4-7 months!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

Perfect Weekend!

This weekend was really fun, relaxing, and we got a lot done!

Friday:  When Chris came home from work we went to Carters and Babies 'R us to look at clothes for Kaden! We are getting our pictures done next weekend in Puyallup so we wanted to find somewhat nice matching outfits :)  Then we went to Chris' cousins house to celebrate Jeremy's 30th birthday! Chris' other cousin Nicole secretly flew out from Kansas to surprise everyone! I finally got to meet her and talk to her in person instead of facebook! She is awesome :)

this isn't what kaden is wearing for pictures but it is cute and perfect for him and Chris! :)

Saturday: Chris and I worked on a lot of projects for the house! I found a nice big antique chest (it was painted sea foam green) and I sanded it, re-painted it and now it is very cute.  It matches out TV stand that we just made and it will be used for Kaden's toys in our living room! We also put up our 2 picket fences that we found, we are using them as our headboard!  Later we all went for a walk and had a relaxing movie/dinner night at our house just the 3 of us!

toy box next to TV stand!

picket fence headboard!

 Sunday:  We woke up around 8 am and noticed how sunny and warm it already was! We all played outside a lot! I am so thankful for Kadens play yard so that we can all play outside! Chris took apart a pallet that he brought home from work.  We are making a really cute sign out of it but that is still in the works so more to come on that later! We cleaned the entire house and Kaden had another bath that he loves so much. I love giving him bath, it makes him so happy! At 5 pm we dropped Kaden off at Gma and Gpa's and headed to the Jeff Dunham concert! It was AWESOME! It was 3 hours of non-stop laughing! He did some of his old stuff and then tried out a lot of new stuff for his upcoming Halloween special! So fun.  Thank you Chris for the tickets :) Best vday gift ever!

Bath time yay!

Don't take me out yet!

I love playing with socks!

My little duck boy!

Attack the mom with the camera!

Suicide Bombshell!

Peanut! My favorite!

That was our fabulous and fun weekend! :)

Baby Weight

So I am the type of girl who is proud of my muscles and I would much rather be healthy and have a roll or two than a size 2 that you can see their ribs.  I remember in 6th grade my girl friend and I had to do a math problem that had to do with weight (I ice skated & played soccer, she was a softball player).  We both were 140 lbs in 6th grade and i remember that being the first time I cared about how much I weighed.  I  remember every time I tell someone how much I weigh they always say "no way, you don't look like that much".  That's why I am glad I am muscular because it is lean mass not fat mass.  Lean mass weighs more on a scale when compared to fat mass! You can weigh more and still be healthier than someone who weighs less than you.

Being an exercise science major has helped me understand that I am not fat even though the scale reads that  I typically weigh 145 on the scale.  I have very good muscular strength/endurance as well as cardiovascular endurance.  I am healthy so I should be happy right?! I have my good days and I have my fat days.  Tonight is a "fat night".  I just feel huge...probably because I didn't run today.

I love to eat, so I honestly eat whatever I want...but I am also one of the pickiest eaters alive so I really don't eat that much! Diets are out of the question for me, I think life is to short to deprive yourself of the good foods :) I workout everyday so carbs are my fuel and since I am very active I can eat that chocolate dessert as well!

I really really started caring about my weight when I got pregnant.  I didn't start showing until I was 5 1/2 months and I lost 8 lbs due to being sick 24/7 for 22 weeks!  Once I started showing I gained weight like crazy!  I walked 3-6 miles everyday and I swam/treaded water every weekend but I still gained 60 lbs when all said and done.  The day before I went into labor I hit 201 lbs.... yikes.  Thankfully after 2 weeks after having Kaden I lost 33 lbs (breastfeeding, water weight, baby weight).  Then I plateaued.  I only lost 1 pound a week after week 2 and now I am 148 lbs and stuck.  I have to eat more than I did when I was pregnant and drink a lot of water to maintain my supply.  It has been rough, I have wanted to stop breastfeeding selfishly so I can stop being hungry all the time and workout really hard without worrying about my supply stopping or running low.  When your breastfeeding your body will only allow you to lose about 1 lb to maintain your supply, I didn't know this at first so I was really hard on myself!! Plus when you do aerobic exercises...your body wont let you burn fat from your fat stores (hips and butt area) so I am still struggling in that area!!!

Also, my belly... I actually have some pretty dang good abs...UNDER MY POUCH! :( I have no elasticity left in my stomach..its saggy and sad looking.  I have a small pouch but there is a pouch, I am really self conscious about it.  I want it to go away right now!!! I waited to do abs until I was 5 months pregnant because I know from my PT internship that you can injure yourself doing crunches/sit ups too early because they are loose, stretched out, and far apart.  ALSO, good to note... if you push yourself to hard, and start running too soon after giving birth (0-3 months after) you can really hurt/ruin your back and hip joints.  During my physical therapy internship I saw this in women a lot and now they are paying for it....


I love love love Kaden and I want to get pregnant again down the road.... but woah what a lasting mark pregnancy leaves on your body!!! I was definitely too hard on my self before I got pregnant.  I miss my old body and size 36C boobs.  My body back then WAS perfect!!


Just getting this all of my chest, because tonight I am having a fat night and a little depressed.... oh and I really want a blizzard right now ;)

Lucky # 7

 7 months ago to the day, Kaden Robert was born at 6:38 am after 33 hours of grueling labor.  He waited (and waited and waited) to be born on his exact due date!  The days fly by faster than ever when you have a kid.  I remember my entire pregnancy seemed like it lasted 2 years but the past 7 months have only felt like a few short weeks! I was looking through our pictures that we have a Kaden and realized we have over 500 just of him.  Some people may find it annoying taking that many pictures of a baby but aside from the fact that he is so dang cute, I have captured almost every single milestone and more with all the pictures! This way I don't miss a beat :)

• Some facts about Kaden:
• Weight: 23 lbs
• Height: 28 inches
• Hair color: turning light brown (still alot of hair even with 1st hair cut)
• Teeth: 3 on the bottom
• Diaper size: 3
• Clothing size: 9 some 12
• Nursing: Yes, every 2-3 hrs around the clock, no formula at all yet!
• Solid food: carrotts, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, apples, bananas (his favorite), squash, rice cereal, prune juice, peas, pears (allergic reaction, boo!), num nums, graduate puffs, going to try peaches next!
• Skills: laugh, babble, blow bubbles, yell, cry, scream (lol), roll over both directions, sit up, crawl forward and backward, stand on furniture (stands with everything!), walks with support of furniture, moves objects from one hand to another, feeds himself, hold up arms when wants to be picked up, grabs everthing, puts everything in his mouth, puts his arms through his shirts when dressing him, pets animals, grandma and i have witnessed him trying to wave 4 times!!
• Sleeps: we were spoiled early on (he slept 10-12 hrs straight from week 6 - 6 months) now he sometimes sleeps that long but not often. Teething had got the best of him and wakes him up alot, he is also so active and always moving that he has started nursing at night again :( been going on for 3 weeks.

Oh and we got a dog 2 days ago! His name was Oakley but he looks more like an Aspen. So now he is Aspen! haha He is 10 weeks old, already a 30 lb fluff ball.  His mom weighed 125 lbs, his dad was pushing 200 lbs.  He is a Great Pyrenees, and is a mountain herding dog! He loves Kaden and already protects/plays with him! It is awesome :) They are best buds!

Kaden (7 months) Aspen (10 weeks)

So true

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around the outside of your body "

This quote struck me.  I completely agree with it.  I connect with it so much because I am living it.  Having a baby is thee most amazing and exciting experience but also the scariest and most worrisome experience at the same time.

I love watching him learn and grow.  It is exciting to see him do the most simple things that as adults we take for granted (walking, sneezing, rolling, babbling, grabbing things, laughing).  Having Kaden I feel complete.  I love taking care of him, feeding him, bathing him, holding him.

But at the same time I hate listening to him cry thinking he is in pain or unhappy.  I get scared every time we take him somewhere in the car.  I worry about him when I am away from him and when he is sleeping (yes I am the mom that wakes up in panic looking/feeling to see he is still breathing).  When he stands on furniture and bumps his head and I feel so bad and worry he is going to have a concussion (lol sometimes not always).

It is the biggest decision I have made during my 22 years of life.  It has been hands down the best decision, but a decision that literally impacts my life forever.  It is pretty crazy when you think about it.

I am responsible for raising Kaden and making sure he has every opportunity to succeed.  This is only the beginning... 7 months down, forever to go!

:)

Slow down!

My oh my how time flies!!! It seems like yesterday Kaden was born.  This coming Monday will  be 7 months! Don't blink, you'll mess everything!!

1 day old!

1 month old

3 1/2 months old

now almost 7 months old!

Only 5 more months until Kaden's 1st birthday. Yes, I am already planning.  It will be awesome!

Another pinterest project :)

I found a canvas project on pinterest that I liked for our bedroom! It was very easy to do! I did it in 30 minutes with a crying baby by my side :) I love these simple but CUTE projects :) It was perfect for this rainy cold day...

tape for the stripes

cookie cutter for stencils

paint every other strip

hot glue gun lots of buttons

almost done!

done! yay :)

 Mommy's little helper today!!

Mommy at age 22

When I got pregnant and had Kaden, I received a lot of comments about how young I am.  Sure 22 is young but hey at least I am not 16.  I am so happy to be a mom at this age for many reasons:

• my body adjusted and bounced back to normal very fast during and after pregnancy
• I am already used to interrupted sleep and lack of sleep from being a college student
• I have my whole life ahead of me to grow WITH my kids
• I want a big family and I want to be around to watch them have kids and their kids have kids
• When Kaden graduates from HS, I will only be 40. I like that # :)
• I want to be active with my kids and grand kids
• Kids will be in college when I am just turning fifty so early kids = early retirement for Chris & I
• I have a lot of energy to multitask and do it all (working out, taking care of Kaden, cleaning the house, getting my degree) 
• etc....

Don't get me wrong, being a mom while finishing school and working is hard work but since I am young, I do have my whole life ahead of me. I can relax when all the kids are out of the house and I will only be 50 :) 

I actually don't even remember what life was like without Kaden.  My life must have been really boring.  I feel like I really started living and enjoying life ever since Kaden came to the world.  I don't regret anything and I didn't miss out on anything having him early.  

Life is awesome with babies!

*Note: I do agree with waiting until you find someone you truly love and want to be with for the rest of your life before having kids as well has having a steady source of income (babies are $$$$), however everyone has their own  story and each path is different so if your happy and your babies are happy then more power to you :)

I also see on facebook people posting about how everyone is having babies right now and sometimes they are rude comments.  Helloooo we have been out of HS for 5 years so of course at some point we are going to move on with our lives and do something with them whether it be a career, grad school, making a family, getting married.  I really think you are just insecure with where your life is at right now.  If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.  Babies aren't gross and women in their 20's who get pregnant aren't dumb.  They are living life and enjoying it.  The End. 

ah. I love him!!

Pottery Barn Knock off

Since Kaden is crawling everywhere...his favorite place to crawl to is the media storage area.  We had a bunch of those closet maid cube storage things but with the fake wood, Kaden easily was pulling it and using the shelves to stand himself up with.  I see potential accidents happening if we kept it so.... we looked and looked and every TV stand we found was really expensive and didnt have the storage we needed.  So last weekend we went to Pottery Barn and we saw this! We loved it and it was on sale for 790$$ Holy crap...

The solution: try to make our own.  I went on Pinterest (lifesaver) and found a blog with instructions to make your own knock off here: Shanty 2 Chic! So we did :)

My Handyman :)

Work In Progress

It looks awesome! The BEST part was that we made it from scratch and only cost 150$ for evreything (inlcuding wood, knobs, hinges, paint, stain)!  We are just missing the 15 other clear knobs... Hobby Lobby was out of them today!

hope you like :)

holds all of our movies!

Amazing people

Sometimes I don't think we thank people enough for everything they do.

Chris Rector:  You are my best friend.  I thank you for supporting me and standing by my side through all of lifes ups and downs.  Somehow you can calm me down when I am frustrated and angry and I thank you for that.  You have taught me to be laid back and not let little things get to me.  You are drama free and I love it.  Thank you for working so hard at the pharmacy so that I can focus on school and not have to work and thank you for working full time so that we have this awesome roof over our head and yummy food on the table.  Life with you has been amazing and I am excited for the many many years to come. Thank you for being a great daddy to mr. Kaden!

My mom, Linda: Thank you for bringing me into the world.  Thank you for putting your dreams aside to raise me right.  Thank you for taking me to all those ice skating events/practices and the hundreds of soccer games and practices.  Thank you for supporting me through school even when I mess up.  Thank you for still loving me even though sometimes I say the most stupid or mean things.  Thank you for embrassing being a grandma and loving Kaden as if he were your own!

My brother Tyler:  Thank you for being you. lol We dont exactly see eye to eye these days but you are young and learning stuff on your own! I cant wait for you to get a little older and then we will probably have more things in common.  haha Thank you for being a great uncle.

My dad, Tom:  Thank you for working very hard all these years in the air force and your current job to support our family!  Without you we wouldnt have been able to play the sports we love or have the oportunity to go to college.  Thank you

The Rector Family: Lana- thank you for taking time out of your days to watch Kaden while I am at school.  Honestly, I would not be able to attend school if it werent for you! I am so thankful Kaden gets to be around family and not stuck in daycare.  You are a lifesaver.  Steve- thank you for being very supportive of Chris and I and being a great influence and grandpa to Kaden.  Thank you for all the help you have given us as we became new parents!  Kaylee and Emily- Thank you for being the sisters I never had and wonderful aunties to Kaden.  He is blessed to have all of you to learn from and spoil him.

Amanda Long:  Thank you for being a true friend.  I can count on you and go to you for advice.  We think alike and I can tell you anything.  You are such a great person and I am so happy for you and everything you have accomplished over the years.  We have been friends for 7th grade and these days that is rare to have a friendship last that long! You rock, thank you for supporting me during all the breakups, school, and pregnancy! Love you

Franny (Fern): Thank you for being real and honest.  I know that you always tell me the truth.  I am so thankful we met while playing soccer all those years.  You are like my little sister that I never had.  We are different but similar at the same time.  You are a hardworking person and deserve the best.  Thank you for still being here after all these years, I can tell you anything and know I will not be judged.  I dont know what I would do without you. Thank you for letting me vent to you all the time!

There are so many more people to thank on my list but Chris wants me to stop writing...NOW!
Good Night :)

Mommyhood

Motherhood is amazing. I have never experienced anything quite like it.  It’s pretty crazy how much you grow up during the 9 months of pregnancy as well as each and everyday you’re a mom.  I see things so differently than I did a year ago.  Last year all I thought about was myself, now I am the last person I think of.  I never used to worry, now I worry all the time.  I worry about driving and flying. I worry about Chris’ health, Kadens health, and my health.  I worry about the laundry not getting done or the dirty dishes filling up the sink.  I used to love the snow and now I hate the thought of driving in it with Kaden.  

On top of worrying all the time, I find myself feeling and sounding a lot like my mom.  Some days I will say, “All I do is clean and wash clothes” Yup thats what my mom always says too! Having Kaden and raising him for the past 6 plus months I have come to realize how much I took my own mom for granted.  She has done an amazing job taking care of Tyler and I. I regret so many of my actions and the things I said when I was in high school.  I now know what she did everyday because I am living it.  I thank her for breastfeeding me for a whole year (I now know how hard it really is) and I thank her for giving up everything to be a stay at home mom and giving us her full attention.  

I love being a mom.  It is awesome.  I thought I knew what true love was until I gave birth to Kaden.  I love him so much sometimes it scares me.  Being a mom has put me on cloud 9 and I am so thankful for being able to have kids and experience this.  While being a mom is amazing, it is also one of the hardest things I have ever done! I knew it wasnt going to be easy because of the 30 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing I endured to get here. There are nights when all Kaden wants to do is cry and there is no soothing him.  Being a full time mom and full time student is so exhausting, I dont know how I am managing it all.  I just keep thinking about June 16th when I will be done with school and have my Bachelors degree.  Kaden is my main motivation to finish school.  When he is older I want him to be able to say that both of his parents finished college and earned their degrees.  I feel if I give up and dont finish that wouldnt be setting a good example for him. 

All in all, there are good days and there are bad days.  The good days outweigh the bad 100 to 1. I love watching him learn and grow.  He is so smart and too cute.  He has his mommy and daddy already figured out.  I cant really remember what life was like without Kaden and I wouldnt trade it for anything.  I am so excited for what the future holds for my little family and all the amazing things I will learn during this journey of motherhood.  

Update on Kaden- 29 weeks old. 22 pounds. 27 ish inches.  Still eats every 2 hours.  Loves all foods so far except peas and he is allergic to pears.  He has been sitting on his own for 2 months, he just started crawling all over the place.  He loves to pull himself up to stand. He loves chewing on his socks.  He doesn’t rely on a pacifier or his thumb.  He babbles, smiles, laughs, cries, and tries to blow bubbles.  His favorite place is to sleep in between mommy and daddy.  He is perfect and I love him.  

Goodnight world. Tomorrow is another day!!