Afternoon Visit

Teresa and Adrian come by the ranch on their way to Descanso. We had some snacks and played pass the peanut.

First Full Bath

Enough of the sponge bath, it's time to dunk the lil guy. Well more like splash Caden with some tepid agua. He took to it like the wicked witch of the west. Or as Granny Lyons says, he was screamin blue murder. It appears his state of happiness is directly proportional to the amount of clothes he happens to be wearing.

No sooner did we get him dry and into some fresh clothes and he was right back to Caden the Contented. He enjoys the flying Padre teddy bears...just click the play button.

First night out

We decided to take Granny Lee out for a belated birthday dinner. Lil Cademan's first restaurant dining experience. Caden the Contented was a perfect gentleman. He spent the majority of the evening in snooze mode. Granny enjoyed holding the lil tyke, Grandad loved his shrimp and in the end, he melted the heart of our server Karina.

The rainbow connection

So there I am, 4:30am, lil man is starting to chirp. It's been close to 4 hrs since last feed, G asleep beside me, time to kick into gear. Dash to the kitchen, prepare a bottle, back to pick up Caden before he starts to wail. Little man doesn't pass the sniff test, so we're off to the changing area. Plop him down, hit the rain forest peek-a-boo cribside soother. Dismantle blanket wrap and clothing. Remove diaper, one hand on the feet, the other wiping at will. Now the parent of any boy will understand the anxiety of this dance. Sure, one can buy a squirt lid, but let's be honest...a burping blanket will do just fine. Yet in my early morning haste, I simply dismantled and cleaned lil man.



Due to the recent procedure, I need to apply a spot of petroleum jelly to the front side of diaper, prior to lock down. Within the changing crib, I have diaper, no jelly, no squirt lid. Navigate the 12 feet to the burping blanket stash and turn back to the crib to cover up. I check for signs of release...body and crib appear dry. Squirting disaster avoided, I take time to properly apply jelly and begin diaper installation. Just as I'm checking my diaper install for potential leakage, it dawns on me. Why are my socks wet. A proud papa, standing in a pool o' piddle.

Adjusting to the overnight groove

I confess, I really had no idea what the night would bring with a newborn. Being an optimist, I refused to allow the countless "Congratulations, you won't have a good night's sleep for the next decade" bring me down. I figured I would react accordingly when the challenge presented itself.

Reminds me of the first time I went to Scotland. Gayle being the detailed planner and frugal Scot, she reserved a car several months in advance. By choosing manual v. auto transmission, we must have saved upwards of $12 on the eleven day trip. No sooner had she made the reservation, she launched her campaign of fear. "Mike, you won't believe how hard it is to drive over there. The roads are all single lane, people drive fast, it's confusing beyond your wildest dreams...and the entire time you're faced with the fear of forgetting which side of the road to drive on. Oh and I saved money if we drive a stick, so I hope you can handle shifting backwards."

The bond-like smooth exterior responded with "pffft, please." My inner self spent the next two months too fearful to ask if by shifting backwards she meant that the pedals were reversed as well. All I can remember is walking to our rental thinking...c'mon skinny pedal on the right, please let the gas be on the right.

I'm happy to report the clutch is universally left foot, and having a newborn is entirely too enjoyable to be considered challenging. Sure there're adjustments, but hell the guy is a hoot. 20 minutes tops and he's back to the crib or snugglin in with one of us.

Schmoozing Aunti Dar

Wee Caden had his first social visit today. Lady Darlene fancied a ride in the country and could nae resist the opportunity call. On his best behaviour, Caden wasted no time getting his charm on.

Sawin Zzzzz with the old man

A wise and experienced father recently shared a bit of wisdom. "One of the benefits of your newborn is the legal nap. With your son on your chest, no one will interrupt."

TGIF

Caden has really taken to laying about. The kid knows how to relax. Fill his belly and he's about as happy as a hog in sunshine.

Granny Lee Birthday

Today we loaded up for our first social visit in town. We drove out to Kris and Trevor's place in OB, for an enjoyable B-day bash. We knew from the ride into town for Caden's doc visit, a car ride puts him in deep hibernation. Caden peeked an eye open when Kris fed him and spent the remainder of the evening about as lively as a sack o potatoes. This didn't wear off until we returned home a wee bit past 11p. Sufficiently rested, he was ready to burn the midnight oil...

Insurance battle

Spent a few hours today trying to sort out wee Caden's health insurance. We thought we could just add him on his daddy's insurance. Well not so. So first thing, I had to cancel his appt. Today was a big day, as I scheduled the little man to get snipped. (no pun intended) Turns out, even though he shows on my insurance, he will not be active until May.


So we work with Gayle's insurance get all the paperwork and filings done, while I'm trying to get a quick appt scheduled. The doctor we were going to see does not accept the new insurance. Caden is now approaching two weeks and it's not like we want to wait til pre-school.


I get a call back from the gal helping me with the paperwork. She says she has found a great doctor for us and she's waiting to hear back about scheduling. She goes on, "the new doc is in La Mesa close to our other doctor and I wanted to give you his name and number to see if you are ok with him doing the surgery."
Me - Great, what's the name and number
She - His name is Dr. Short
Me - Yikes, what's his full name.
She - Dr. Richard Short
Me - Houston, we have a problem


So we went back to the our orginal doctor and asked if he knew any other doctors or rabbis with steady hands.

Back on the ranch, Caden has shown an ability to dismantle and wiggle out of most anything. We may go to the straight jacket.

Saturday morning we decided to do some drills and work on technique. Last Saturday during the Padre game, Caden was practicing with the whiffle ball. I noticed him dropping his release point. We had a quick review of the fundamentals...keep the hands on the elevator line between the chin and belt buckle, throw over the top, keeping the elbow near the ear. Check his progress by clicking the play button below.

Wednesday - New toys

Wednesday arrived and we could tell our son was eager for adventure. Little man gets hungry just about any time his eyes open, so we introduced him to the Binkie. He took to it like a longhorn to green alfalfa.

Craving further entertainment we brought out the grandaddy of sensory entertainment. The bobblin band baby bouncer.

Tuesday's Groundbreaking News

After 4 days of lounging about sleeping and tooting, we were stunned with a monumental moment. Late in the evening as Caden stretched out on his back in the bassinet, his inner drive kicked in. With that he promptly rolled 90 degrees to left. A monumental feat to be sure.

Monday visit with Granny Lee

Sunday with Granny Lyons

Spent the day playing with the lil burrito man. His eyes are starting to open more often.

Saturday - first full day at home

Auntie Kris and Uncle Trev with cousins Skylar, Ben and Emily...
After the cousins head home. Caden takes in his first Padre game...Jake Peavy dealing, the good guys lead 4-0 over the LA Dogs.

Friday we're off to the ranch

We made it through our first night. After passing a series of tests, little Caden was officially released into our custody. We dressed him up in some traveling clothes and hit the road.

Thursday at the hospital

Thursday afternoon, Gayle and I, along with Granny Lyons, drove up to Pomerado Hospital. A little nervous and hoping for the best, the newborn staff put us at ease, explaining what was to come. At 5:40pm we were introduced to our new baby boy.

Driving up to the hospital we reviewed our shortlist of potential names. We figured once we saw wee Lee, one of the names would jump out at us. He was born with reddish hair and a healthy set of lungs. We thought he looked like a lil Caden. Caden is a Welsh/Irish name meaning spirit of battle or little fighter.

We enjoyed giving the him a quick bath and asked the nurses all the questions we could imagine. Once he was bundled up, warm and happy, the nurses opened up the nursery window for a family greeting. Auntie Kris, Granny Lee, Granny Lyons and Grandad Lee crowded the window for a peek.

We were assigned a room and off we went to spend our first night together.

Inside Room 206

So off we went to our room with our new burrito wrap asleep in the bassinet. Once settled in the room, we took turns passing Caden around. He was just as sweet and silent as could be.
Feeding time was fast approaching. We soon learned that Caden wasn't shy about expressing his desires. Quivering chin and all, he demonstrated his command of the upper register with great passion.
So with that, it was time for Mike's crash course in baby feeding. So there I was with a roomful of experienced mothers, simultaneously holding Caden, feeding all of 1/2oz of formula, flexing every muscle in my body and positioning each of my limbs as awkwardly as possible.
It appears I passed Neck Support 101, yet failed miserably with Burping 206. Thankfully the room full of graduate mothers gave a full tutorial. With a full tummy, wee Caden's energies diminished. He was out before we placed him back in the bassinet. The excitement, stress and awkward flexing took its toll on your humble narrator as well. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Gayle hit the light and the three of us drifted off into dreamland.