Shout out...

I love to compliment a company when they treat their customers right. Here are two shout outs that I have!

Britax:
Best car seats EVER, love them!!! I also have a Britax stroller. Unfortunately I broke the wheel of it and have been unable to use it. I called Britax to see if I could buy another wheel. For some reason, I can't remember why, but they don't sell them. So the lady offered to send me one free of charge. I reminded her that it was not a warranty problem, that I actually caused the damage. She said that is okay and she would send it to me anyway! I received the wheel just the other day! Thank you Britax!

LL Bean:
Parker's new school highly recommended that we purchase a rolling backpack for our student. Well because the specifically mentioned it I figured they meant it and needed to buy him a good backpack, so I went to LL Bean (Brian had a laptop bag from them that lasted nearly 10 years!!!). Anyway, Parker's first day of school he left the backpack strap out of the pouch while rolling because I instructed him to despite the directions. I just wanted him to have a smooth day and not spending too much time tucking the strap in and out so I specifically told him to leave the strap out just that day. Well, he got home and the strap was frayed nearly in two from one day! Although I did not have him follow directions I was so surprised it frayed that bad for one day. I called LL Bean and told them the story. They said a new one will be on the way! I said I wasn't calling to get a new free backpack, I was just hoping that maybe they would meet me in the middle because it was my fault, and they said not a problem a new one is still coming free of charge! Whooo Hoooo! Thank you LL Bean!

Honesty does pay!

Cale's Funny Faces

I went on the back patio to start the grill and when I turned around I saw this...

Jesus Hat

Liddie put the arm cover from a chair on her head and said "Look Momma, it's a Jesus hat"! I love it when they make connections like that.

Cale - 12 Month Check Up

Cale at 1 Year:

Weight:

22 pounds and 8 ounces...smaller than I thought! He is in the 55% range.

Height:

28 3/4 inches...getting taller, slowly but surely! That is 25%, poor boy doesn't stand a chance at being a basketball playerl!!

Head:
19 1/4" which is greater than 95%!  Funny story:  for Cale's 9 month check up, Brian was with us and the doctor took measurements of both of our heads to determine that Cale's large head was due to genetics, otherwise we would have had to go to Texas Childrens' for a CAT scan!

Number of Teeth:

6

Personality:

Baby Cale is so laid back. He is a pretty quiet baby, he plays independently very well and loves the big kids, we know he can't wait to be running around with them...you can see it in his eyes.

Accomplishments:

He can say Momma, Dada, Bubba (Parker), Go (he hears us say to Liddie "go, go, go" when she is saying she needs the restroom) and nana (banana). He is the fastest crawler we have ever seen, but is walking around the coffee table, pushing a chair around and will stand when he doesn't realize it. He will put absolutely anything or everything he can in his mouth, just plain nasty! He will go to sleep while awake (HUGE for us), but still does not sleep through the night.

Baby Cale...WE LOVE YOU!

Pay it Foward...Update!

I have been getting lots of stories, but few comments, which is fine. I encourage you to send me your stories. First, I decided to do this because I have been blessed by others in so many ways and I know I could never repay them. Second, I wanted to encourage everyone to give selflessly to others and if you are every asked how they could repay you, you then ask them to "Pay it Forward". God works in ways you cannot imagine. After I did this, I read this post about a couple who just had their first baby and now she (the baby) is in NICU. She specifically mentioned in her post that she would have to pay forward everything everyone has done for her because there would be no way she could repay them. Her post is here! Keep the stories comin', I will post some stories in a few days.

Pay it Forward...

Pay it forward...means that someone does something for you out of the kindness of their heart, not expecting anything in return so a way to "repay" them is to do the same thing for something else.

A couple different friends of mine have encouraged others to Pay it Forward by the first 3 people to leave a comment would receive a gift.  I have so enjoyed it.  Now I want to pay it forward, but want to change it up a little.  Send me an email at cara.canada@gmail.com of the best way you have paid it forward or if you haven't paid it forward before then here is your chance to do it and tell me about it.  Leave me a comment only telling me you will send me an email, not to tell your story because I think the best way to pay it forward is to also be anonoymous!  The best story I receive within a week will receive something special in the mail!  I will also post your story without your name.

I encourage you to leave a comment so we can see how many people will participate and encourage one another!  If you blog, do the same thing!

Here are a few examples to pay it forward:

Buy the lunch of the person behind you in the drive thru;

Help someone do something that someone else has once helped you do (organize a closet ora home office);

Call someone who does not have family close and offer to watch their kids so they can go on a date night without having to pay a babysitter;

Spontaneously drop a gift card in the mail to someone, just because and don't sign your name!

Giving is so much fun!

Cale's First Birthday

This day has been bittersweet for me.  I love to see Baby Cale grow, but at the same time I *love* the baby stage so much!  Cale is the "caboose" of our family which makes me sad sometimes, then again it makes me happy sometimes...depends on how the day is going.

Cale is the sweetest baby and very laid back, guess most 3rd babies automatically get the laid back personality.  He can be very quiet, though he babbles a lot too.  He is saying ma ma ma ma ma and da da da da da, and some times even ba ba ba ba ba (Parker, i.e. Bubba).  He doesn't cry a lot, mainly when he is tired and hugry, and fusses only sometimes with a dirty diaper.  The boy is still not sleeping through the night, but I think I am also attached to him waking up and enjoying nursing him.  With each baby they have their own thing they do just between the two of you and Cale's "thing" is to reach close to my neck of my shirt and somehow get his hand just inside and gently rub my chest, it is just so sweet.

Of course he has fallen into the "third child syndrome" meaning he did not get a big first birthday party like the other two, I still have not taken him for pictures (the other two were on the actual day!), and I guess we haven't taken as many of him as we did the others.  I do wish we would have taken more pictures the day he was born, I try not to feel regret about it because I can't change it.

Here is a slide show I put together of his first year...13 pictures, one a month from the day of his birth until today, his first birthday.

Cale's First Ear Infection

Cale came down with his first ear infection.  I finally took him to the doctor on Friday because he wasn't acting himself, was not sleeping (worse than usual), and always wanted to be held (more than usual).  I had be hesitant because he hadn't been running fever; he had a cough, but they say to let it run 14 days if no fever and a little congestion.  My theory was that since Brian was home and I would not have to tote 3 kids to the doctor's office I may as well take him, plus maybe we (really me) could get a weekend of of sleep.  Lo and behold one ear was "red" and the other was grey.  She said normally she wouldn't treat it yet, but since his behavior was not normal she was calling it an ear infection.

Cale is still not sleeping well.  I don't know if it is the ears or just adjusting back to being home after 2 weeks and our sleep arrangements have not be normal by any means.  Who knows!  Typically before our trip, he would "cry it out" some, but since we have been home he is horse and sounds so pitiful, I am having a hard time on the "cry it out" method.  He still really isn't acting like himself.