Knox crawls for the first time

Cadence reads to Knox

While pregnant with Knox, I read, "I'm a big sister" to Cadence to help her understand how things might change once Knox was here. Clearly we read it frequently as she is reading it to Knox, from memory. One of those moments that just makes everything worth it.

Cadence the magician

Apparently Cadence has been watching too much "Peppa Pig." She came in the living room and brought all this stuff and performed a magic trick for us. I am amazed at how smart and funny she is. I'm sure she gets it from me (wink wink)

SN: Her first line is: "This is a glass of water. It's wet and see through...."

Welcome Knox Christopher Hendrick!

 

  It's been a while since my last blog entry, but I have a great excuse....our little man, Knox Christopher Hendrick, has arrived! I'll start by saying, labor was NO fun. With Cadence it was a breeze, but the 2nd go around wasn't as easy. Knox arrived on 2/1/12 at 7 lbs, 5 oz and 21 1/2 inches long.
  I really took advantage of the hospital stay this time, savoring every bite, of every hot meal they brought me. As a mom of two young kids, I was certain I wouldn't have time to eat (and I was right). Not much time to shower or sleep either...

  Knox was a very calm, quiet baby from day 1. When he was awake, he would pretty much just look around the room, make cute little movements with his tiny little lips and eventually doze right back to sleep.
  I was a little more confident bringing him home, because I knew what to expect; Sure enough, the first day home, he slept all day and was awake all night. Day 2, the same, and miraculously on day 3, he slept for 2-3 hr periods during the night. He's been on schedule ever since. His first Dr visit, he was 8 days old and had gained 15 oz since leaving the hospital; almost a full pd! A healthy, calm little boy, with the proudest big sister ever.

  (Segway to Cadence) She is in LOVE with him. I have to constantly tell her to stop kissing him. She is always kissing him and telling me she loves him. He loves when she sings to him. She's been teaching him how to play with his toys. She's a little jealous, but it's definitley outweighed by her fascination with him. I couldn't be more happy than when I see them together. The loves of my life...

Telling Santa what she wants for Christmas: note she asks Santa for a blue Christmas tree for her little brother's room.

Buddy the Elf

So after much talk about Elf on the Shelf, I decided to purchase one for Cadence. We started off on the wrong foot because I was so anxious to get it open and see her reaction. I was more than a little disappointed when she threw him down the hallway and ran off to play with her other toys. I put him away and at bedtime I pulled the book out, but she informed me she didn't want to read that book, she wanted a different book (3 yr olds!) So "Elf on a Shelf," day one, was a fail. That night, while she was sleeping, I stuck Buddy on top of her tv. Shortly after she awoke, I heard, "Hey, what's he doing up there?" I knew exactly what she was talking about and a smile came across my face. I went in her room and acted suprised. That night, we read the book and I learned no one is supposed to touch Elf on the Shelf..opps. Buddy was found the next morning in a different location (the picture of her is when she found him on Day 2). I explained to her how Buddy flys to the North Pole every night and tells Santa if she has been naughty or nice that day. (She totally bought it) So this little game of moving Buddy to a different location every night while she sleeps will go on until Christmas Eve, when he flys home for good and then he'll will reappear next year. Hopefully Derrick and I will get some good behavior out of it and she'll get the joy of having one of Santas little helpers in the house. She's tried to talk to him, but understands Santa doesn't allow him to talk back. However, there is nothing in the book about when he eats so it looks like I will be cooking for 1 extra every night, per Cadence's request. What a fun little idea. Love the Holidays...

Pictures from Cadence's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd birthdays!

Cadence's first birthday party was held at our house. She wasn't feeling very well, but still managed to dig into her birthday cake without hesitation. We learned a valuable lesson that day about the maximum number of people our house could hold, comfortably. I decided to look somewhere else to have her 2nd birthday party.

We had her 2nd birthday party at The OEO center in Portland. This is where I had many parties as a kid. Lots of room to run, but short on the entertainment value. She cried when we lit the birthday cake and starting singing, "Happy Birthday" to her. All the grandparents pitched in for her new swingset, which she uses frequently.

The 3rd birthday party at Chuck E Cheese was a hit. She walked around carrying the inflatable Chuck E Cheese all day. I don't think she sat still for a second. She has told me several times she wants to have her birthday party again there next year. I think we have found the formula for birthday party success!