Begemann Babblings

Kaydon is 1!

2009-03-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

I know it has been quite a while since I posted anything, but here goes! Kaydon turned 1 a couple of weeks ago! What a huge milestone and how quickly a year has passed! We celebrated his birthday with all of his grandparents! My mom used to decorate cakes years ago (like 30+ years ago), but she made Kaydon a monkey cake! He loved it and got messy, although it took a few seconds and little encouraging before he really took off. Then on Sunday, March 8th we celebrated his birthday again with our families and close friends. It was a rather large party (we both have big families :)) and he had a great time. My mom made him another monkey cake and he seemed to know what to do with it this time!
Even without an afternoon nap (and not much of a morning nap), he was in a good mood and was ready to party. By that night though, he was tired and READY for bed! Then we celebrated his birthday once again on St. Patrick's Day. It was a party with another little girl named Addie whose birthday was March 20th. This was a party for the mom's and kids we met at the lactation group. We have gone to this group almost every Friday for a year and have become really good friends with several others that have attended on a regular basis. We had lots of fun!

Kaydon is walking all over the place and even attempting to run at times! Even though he isn't much of a verbal communicator, he does use some sign language to communicate. He understands a lot of things we tell him and will tell you (by shaking his head yes) that he is cute, smart, silly, mommy's boy, daddy's boy, etc. He gives some hugs and some kisses. He waves bye-bye and hi on a pretty regular basis. He is such a cutie and we feel so blessed to have him! The past year has flown by and he is the center of our lives!

Just a few of the faces of Kaydon!

Oh, Where to Begin...

2009-01-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

I am obviously not very good at this blogging stuff on a regular basis! I'll try to do better this year! Kaydon is absolutely fabulous! He is growing up so fast and he is so much fun right now! But before I tell you about what he is doing now, let me try to catch you up since the last post...his haircut! He looks so much different (and so much more like his dad) now that he doesn't have his curls and longer hair now! I miss his curls, but I do have to say that he is still a handsome little boy! Here's a little peak at his new haircut! The day after his haircut, Kaydon had his 9 month checkup and he went to visit Santa! The visit with Santa was pretty fun and he liked Santa...or at least he didn't scream at Santa. He really studied Santa and checked him out! His 9 month checkup wasn't as fun because he got several shots, but he bounced back from those within minutes! Kaydon is still in the 10th percentile for weight, and 75th percentile for heighth! He is a tall, skinny boy! The doctor was not concerned and asked me if he was pretty active! I just laughed...he never sits down, or at least he never stops!

A couple of days after his haircut, we went and had his 9 month pictures taken and a first family photo too! They turned out really good and of course we bought too many pictures, but there were just so many good ones, it was just hard to say no! See what I mean?? And that is just a couple (out of 50 or so shots that are on the CD!)

On Dec. 12-16th, we went to Branson with Chris's mom and stepdad. We had a great time and got to see lots of pretty lights. Of course we went to Silver Dollar City which was gorgeous this time of year! The weather wasn't too bad, and as a result therefore SDC was packed-literally! You could hardly walk, but regardless we had fun! We also did a little shopping, a little sightseeing, visited Santa again and relaxed at the condo. It was a nice time and nice to get away for a few days! Various pictures from the Landing, a shopping area in Branson

We celebrated Christmas several times and of course Kaydon loved it all! His favorite part of Christmas was the wrapping paper and boxes...who needs toys! He was pretty cute during it all!

We spent New Year's Eve at home with my family and with the Short's. We celebrated Brenda's birthday and welcomed 2009 at the same time. On New Year's Day we went to my Aunt Doris's house. 2009 has been a pretty quiet year so far!

Kaydon is quite the character! Right now, his newest "trick" is to shake his head yes when you ask him a question! It is pretty funny!

He can also play "So Big" although he only raises one had (instead of both) when you ask him, "How big is Kaydon?". He is waving bye-bye still, although now there is more "wrist-action" rather than just waving his whole arm. When he is eating, he "signs" all done, even though sometimes he has just started eating! I think he is trying to tell me that he is 'all-done' with whatever I am trying to feed him! Who knows! Mealtime is quite fun right now! He will vigorously shake his head no when he doesn't want something you are trying to offer, although if you keep trying or sing a song while trying to feed him, he might change his mind about eating whatever you are offering! He also rolls his eyes to the ceiling (sometimes...) when he doesn't want something you are trying to feed him. Never try to rush him through mealtime...it doesn't work very well! I am also thankful that I have dogs! They are a very effecient clean up crew! I just have to mop up/wipe up the lick marks off of the floor every once in a while!! Kaydon has learned to dance when he hears some music. His favorite music to dance to goes with his new jungle toy that he got for Christmas. He figured out that if he pushes the monkey's hand, it will play music and he dances around! It is pretty cute to watch!

Kaydon loves monkeys and he has a stuffed monkey (Curious George) that has to go places with us. He loves it when his mommy and daddy make monkey noises! :) Kaydon likes to open our dresser drawers and see what treasures he can find. He finds many of my bracelets. He likes to drag them out all over the bedroom floor and chew on them too! Then while he is in the bedroom, he heads to the tub to turn on the faucet! He's not very good about turning them off yet though! We'll have to work on that one! Another biggie right now is that Kaydon is taking some steps. He will take 5-8 steps on his own! It is so fun to watch him "walk"-he is so proud of himself when he does this! I keep thinking that any day he will take-off, and when he does, my life will change (but secretly, I can't wait:))

Kaydon is 10 1/2 months now and he is more fun everyday! He makes me laugh all the time! Speaking of laughing, I have a quick funny story about him before I post this huge post! About a week and a half ago, Kaydon was taking his morning nap. I had done a few things (like put dinner in the crockpot, folded a load of laundry, etc.) and then I headed to the basement to walk on the treadmill for a little while. I had the monitor on so I would hear him when he woke up. About 25 minutes into my "walk", I heard him cry. I thought I would finish up this minute and then go get him, but he stopped crying almost immediately so I thought he must have gone back to sleep, so I kept walking. I walked a couple of more minutes and then heard him again, so I immediately shut off the treadmill and came up to get him. Although when I got to his bedroom door, it sounded like the crying was coming directly from the other side of the door, not his crib. So I opened the door carefully and sure enough, there was my son, at the door. Somehow (he either climbed or fell from his crib) he got out of his crib and met me at the door! He was not hurt and his cry was not a hurt-cry, just a cry "to get me out of my room"! After the shock wore off and I realized that he was not hurt, I said a thankful prayer! Then I just couldn't believe it and think it is pretty funny now! Needless to say, the side of the crib stays up permanently (the side doesn't go up and down very well) and I can't lay my child down very well because I am too short!! Oh well, he seems to be fine with it and is standing up to greet me most of the time (which makes it easy for me to get him!), it is just the laying him down that is quite a stretch! A few miscellaneous pics of Kaydon!

1st Haircut

2008-12-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

Kaydon got his first "real" haircut today! He had his "tail" cut off and his neckline shaped up a while ago, but today it was the real deal. He looks like a little boy, not a baby anymore! :( It looks really cute and Diane did a great job of cutting his hair. Not only did he get a haircut, but he got his first sucker as well...boy was that messy!! It was all over me, it had hair on it and therefore in his mouth too-he didn't care though! I wasn't taking pictures since I was holding him so I don't have a finished shot, but I'll get one tomorrow and post it soon I hope!

Here Kaydon, Let's Play Fetch

2008-11-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

It doesn't matter who you are, Flurry loves to play fetch and hopes that you will throw his ball, or his rope, or his frisbee, or....you get the idea! Flurry will often lay his fetching toy of choice in front of Kaydon and sit there and stare at him, hoping that he will throw it! The other day, I caught Flurry and Kaydon trying to play "fetch" with one of Kaydon's balls! The ball has a squeaker in it and Flurry would love to tear it out...although so far we have managed to keep him from doing this! This is how their game went...

Let's play fetch Kaydon!

Now you just throw it Kaydon!

Throw and RELEASE Kaydon!

Let's just say, that this is as far as they got! It was pretty cute!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Of course Kaydon went trick-or-treating on Halloween! Although he didn't go very many places, he got some loot (his mom and dad got quite a bit more than he did!!). We went to see the Grandmas and Grandpas and we went to 2 of our neighbors' houses. We had fun, I hope everyone else did too! Kaydon did really well in his costume, even though it was hot and already getting too short! Oh well! Enjoy our little puppy!

Fun Fall Day

2008-11-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, Kaydon and I went with Grandma and Grandpa Robbins to Waverly to get some more apples. We had such a good day! Kaydon was in a great mood and the weather was so nice! We went to Peters' Orchard first. At that orchard, there were lots of pumpkins and also a nice play area for kids. After we got our apples (and a small pumpkin and a small gourd for Kaydon) we went outside to take some pictures. We took pictures on the straw, in the big pumpkin bins, on the toy train, on the slide, among a few others! Later we went to Schreiman's Orchards. On the way home, we went through Higginsville. They have a nice walking trail that we like to walk on, so we took a walk. At the end of our walk, Kaydon got to swing! What a fun fall day!

Kaydon's 6th month pictures

2008-10-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Busy Lives...

2008-10-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Kaydon has been a busy little guy the last couple of weeks! Two weeks ago he went to get his six month pictures (which turned out adorable!). After his pictures, we (Kaydon, Grandma and Grandpa Robbins, and I) went to the orchards to get some fresh apples! I am sure we will be returning to get some more before the season is over!

Another day that week, we went to visit our friend Stephanie who had a baby, Ethan, in July. We had a great lunch with her and we made plans to visit our friend Stacy who also had a baby in July (on the same day as Stephanie!).

I also substituted 2 half days that week. On Thursday, I substituted in the morning, so Grandpa Robbins came down and stayed with Kaydon. Kaydon would not take a bottle for him (since I left before Kaydon got up...), but he did eat cereal for Grandpa. He also took a good nap for Grandpa (in Grandpa's lap of course!) that day. The next day, Friday, I subbed in the afternoon. Grandma Jungerman watched him that day. He did take a bottle for Grandma at noon on that day and also ate some cereal and squash for Grandma. He also took a good nap for Grandma (in her lap of course...:)).

That weekend, we cut cornstalks for our annual decorating at the pastors' houses and for our house too! Really, Chris cut the cornstalks and Kaydon and I (and the dogs) supervised! On Sunday, we went to a birthday party for our friend Callie who we met at lactating class. Happy 1st Birthday Callie!

Last week, we ended up going with Stephanie and baby Ethan to visit Stacy and her 3 kids (Mallory, Parker, and Caroline) and of course her husband Brett too! They live in Farmington, MO which is about 1 1/2 south of St. Louis, so it is about 4 hours or so from Odessa. It was nice to have a traveling companion! Kaydon and Ethan both did great on the way there and on the way home! That was the best that Kaydon has ever traveled! We had a great visit with Stacy and the kids. We didn't "do" anything too exciting, but it was nice to just hang out...although Kaydon doesn't "hang out" too well! He is busy!!!! He about wore me out...I didn't realize how nice it was to have Chris's help, even if it is just in the evenings! Thanks honey!

This weekend we did some fall decorating at home and supervised Chris on the sidewalk that he is "making" out front! It is going to be nice!

2008-09-25T20:04:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Bain Reunion

2008-09-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend we took our first "major" road trip with Kaydon! We went to Ellendale, MN for a reunion with some of Chris's family. The trip should have taken roughly 6 hours, but it took us a little longer. We left on Friday evening around 5:30 and got to our hotel around 12:15. Kaydon did pretty well, especially after we stopped in Des Moines around 9. After that he thought it was bed time so he slept pretty much the last 2.5 hours. Coming home was a little harder because we traveled during the day. I sat in back with him about half the time and we sang just about every nursery rhyme/lullaby known to man (several times too!). We also made up some songs...Chris just sat in the front seat and made fun of me!

We had a great time at the reunion! It was fun to see everybody and get caught up again! We went miniature golfing, barbequed, visited, and had fun (the guys went to a shooting range on Saturday, but Kaydon and I opted not to go...).

It was good to see everybody! Hopefully we'll see you all again soon (maybe in November????-hunting season of course!). Thanks for hosting Jim and Allison!

Kaydon News

2008-09-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, I discovered 2 teeth coming in! He was chewing on my knuckle, when all of a sudden I felt something sharp. When I investigated, I found two teeth coming in on the bottom! (Sorry no pictures yet, he will barely let me look!). As of this weekend, he is doing much better when it comes to eating solid foods...cereal and vegetables! We can hardly shovel it in fast enough. We aren't very neat about it, but at least he is eating it now!

Today I took him for his 6 month checkup. He is growing up!
His stats are:
Height: 27.5 inches (75%)
Weight: 15 lbs. 8 oz (10%) (They asked me if he was an active kid....hmmm)
Head: 17 inches (25%)
The nurse practitioner that we saw said he was a tall and skinny boy! She didn't seem at all concerned about his weight, especially when I told her that he was a very active boy! She also told me that his two top teeth are not far from coming in either! When the 2 nurses left the room and when the doctor left the room he waved to them...they were pretty impressed! That is his newest trick, but he doesn't do it every time, just when he feels like it! He also got 4 shots and one oral immunization today...poor baby! :(

6 months old....and counting!

2008-09-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe a half of a year has already gone by...wow! Looking back at pictures from the day he was born to seeing him now...he has changed so much and he is so much fun!

Although he has been "close" to crawling for several weeks now, he still has not totally mastered it! But don't get me wrong, he gets where he needs to go, just not very fast, nor does he make it very far before he gets frustrated. He also seems to get into some "predicaments!"

Kaydon is kind of a momma's boy (okay he is a big momma's boy)! Therefore, I can't get out of his sight very much or for very long...so we get creative and he goes where I go! He is a big help too...he even helps me do laundry! And let me tell you, it is a tough job, but somebody has to do it!

First Royals Game

2008-09-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Kaydon went to his first Royals game last week! He did really good (he even took a cat-nap in Daddy's arms...). He made it on the big screen too! He got his first autograph...although it was an A's player...Brad Ziegler! Go Brad! (Brad is a guy that graduated with Van and has made it to the big leagues...what an accomplishment!) Unfortunately, Brad did not get to pitch while in Kansas City, but we still had fun joining the other Odessans at big Kauffman Stadium! Thanks for some of the pictures Uncle Van!

Yummm.....carrots!

2008-09-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

From the picture, I am sure you can tell what Kaydon thinks of carrots! He really doesn't like many foods, but we keep trying!

First Time to...

2008-08-24T12:30:00.001-07:00

Kaydon got his first official taste of solids...if you can call a very runny rice cereal solids! He did really good at first, but then after a few bites, he decided it was more fun to blow raspberries with the cereal!

Kaydon is also attempting to crawl! He gets up on his hands and knees and does lots of rocking! He hasn't figured out how to move the hands and legs together yet, but he is getting close!

Some more pictures of Kaydon...

2008-07-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I started this whole blog thing. It is hard to get pictures downloaded, much less type something when the child doesn't take very long naps...so this is what you get. Kaydon is doing much better about rolling both ways...he still gets mad sometimes when he gets on his belly, but if you leave him long enough (which isn't very long...) he will/can get back to his back. He pushes up on his hands/arms and his knees, but just not at the same time . Once he does, he will be that much closer to crawling! Then I really won't have time to blog!!!!

New to Blogging...

2008-06-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

I am going to try this blog thing. I am not sure how often I will get to it, nor how often I will get pictures (and videos too???) posted, but it sounds like fun! One of the gals that I worked with in Blue Springs has a blog for her twin sons and a couple of the girls that I have met at lactation group have blogs too....so yes, essentially I stole their ideas!