Here We Go Again!

While you will be reading this post probably a couple months after I write it, I wanted to write this post now because there is no way I will be able to remember everything! Casey and I are excited to announce that we are expecting Hixon Baby#2 in early December 2015!  We are beyond thrilled to add another little one to our family and make Caden a big brother!  God is so good, and while it may seem far off, I know with a very active toddler time will fly by.

   So even though I wasn't yet late, I decided to take a pregnancy test a couple days early.  I honestly thought it would be negative just because I had similar symptoms the previous month and I wasn't pregnant then.  My thought process was to just take the test, find out it was negative for certain, and then move onward and hope it would happen the next month. Btw, Casey has no idea I'm planning on taking a test.  Again, I thought it was negative, so I figure I'd just tell him later.  No big deal, right?!  On Monday, March 30th Caden and I have finished eating breakfast and playing a little bit when I decide to take the test.  Of course Caden follows me into the bathroom like he always does.  I take the test, and as I did with Caden and every pregnancy test I've taken I just prayed to God for peace and acknowledging that His time is perfect, so to help me have patience and wait if I didn't get the answer I wanted.  This time I had a little prayer partner with me, and it was so sweet to have my son sit on the bathroom floor together and pray to God about such a special matter.  When I looked at the stick and saw the other line, meaning I was pregnant, I was BEYOND excited and shocked!  Caden and I then said another prayer to God thanking him for this tiny precious life He had given us.  Caden was the first person that I told, but at 16 months has no idea what is coming his way in the coming months.
   Our Monday was off to a great start!  Now to figure out how to tell Casey!  This definitely is not one of those things you share on the phone.  Casey is very calm and laid back, but when he is genuinely and sincerely excited, seeing his face light up is one of the best sights ever!  I knew I wanted to tell him in person, but meeting him for lunch didn't seem like the best option since Caden and restaurants aren't always the best combo at this point in our life, so I decided I would wait till we came home.  Caden and I went shopping and decided to get him a big brother t-shirt to tell his Daddy.
I found one that would work (not my ideal choice), but it would do!  I waited till right before Casey came home to change Caden into his shirt  that said he was being promoted to big brother and since we have a detached garage, we played in the backyard waiting for Daddy to come home, which is not unusual if the weather is nice.  Caden is so excited every day to see his Daddy, so he's right up against the rod iron fence waiting for his Daddy to open the gate. 
   Casey immediately notices Caden has a new shirt on! I'm seriously impressed.  So I think he read what was on it and waiting for a reaction, but that would be a negative!  He just says let's go inside and starts asking me about my day.  By this point, I know the man has no idea what is going on.  While he's getting something out of the pantry, I asked him if he read Caden's shirt.  Of course by this point Caden decides to sit down and be whiny because he didn't get his way about something, so all Casey can read on this squirmy toddler's short is "I've been promoted"  and the bottom 2 lines that say Bro-ther.  Except Casey thinks the last part is 2 words, so he still doesn't get it!!!  Finally we get Caden to stand up straight and he reads it all, and gets it!  His face lit up because he was not expecting this surprise!
   Not sure if it's a boy or girl, but we'll see what God says our family needs!  Excited to see the plans God has for this little one!  We look forward to meeting you later this year Hixon Baby #2!!!

This kid has no clue he's losing his only child status!

4 Weeks with Hixon Baby #2

Baby #2 at 7 wks.

Baby #2 at 9 wks.  Grow baby, grow!!

Baby #2 at 12 wks., 2 days

"But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create..."  Isaiah 65:18

The Dreaded Stomach Bug

A few weeks ago Caden succumbed to his first stomach bug and it was AWFUL!!!  My poor baby didn't really understand throwing up (sorry if that's TMI) and the scared look on his face just made this Mommy's heart hurt terribly!  It came on this guy on a Tuesday afternoon on our way home from Ladies Bible class at church. Fun car seat clean up times there.  Poor guy just kept getting sick and couldn't even keep Pedialyte down!  His pediatrician's office was closed, but they are part of a group of practices that have an after hours office open nights and weekends (BEST THING EVER!!!).  So we were at the doctor till 10 something that night, but able to get Caden some medicine to stop the vomiting.
   Little man's stomach was still somewhat unstable the next several days, but he didn't really know that.  This kid would go to the refrigerator crying because he wanted his milk, but every time we tried some it just came back.  This kid lived off of ice chips literally because he wasn't much of a Pedialyte fan.  Once the vomiting stopped, then it started coming out the other end.  When I called the doctor's office to talk with them about it since the note on the medicine said to call them if there was diarrhea, they proceeded to tell me this was the second part of the virus.  Lovely.  The even more lovelier part was that it could last 1-2 weeks! Oh my!  Thankfully it was only a few days, but guys it was rough time at the Hixon house.
   Watching our sweet boy feel so bad just hurts!  I know this is not our last stomach virus, but I hope it's a loooong time before we have to deal it again. I wish it be a long time before I make another trip to the pediatrician, but not even 2 weeks later back we were again! Ugh!  This time it was pink eye! And this past week it was another cold. At least my kiddo is keeping it real getting something different each time, but bring on spring, which I hope means getting sick less!

When you throw up all over your clothes,
you ride home in just a diaper and socks!

My poor sick baby

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  Matthew 20:28

15 Months

   So even though our sweet boy turned 16 months old yesterday, here is a post on him at 15 months!  This little guy has been sick off and on I feel like since winter began, so that is a huge reason for the delay in my posting!  I pray springtime is kinder to us!  Caden John is growing so fast and learning something new all the time.  My absolute favorite thing that he started doing on his own is putting his hands together to pray, seriously melts my heart every time!!!  He's "talking" so much more, and saying actual words too!  Besides mama, daddy, and yah, he's started to say "sit".  Why he chose this word of all words, I don't know, but I suspect it's all the many times I tell him to sit down on his bottom when he is standing on top of toys and such.  His Daddy worked really hard with him to make sure he annuciates it correctly, because that can come out differently when you're still learning how to speak.  He does really well now!  Speaking of standing on toys, this kid has no fear (I like to attribute his Daddy and Uncles for this trait in him), which does give this Momma some worry!  On the otherhand, I'm glad that he's not afraid to try new things.  Just means more prayers for this Momma to share with the good Lord I guess!
   While working to feed ourselves with a fork/spoon is still a work in progess, he's actually doing really well.  It's honestly more difficult for me, because I want 100% of it to get in his mouth so I know he's getting enough to eat, but I know he's got to do it himself  and that the only way to improve is to give him more opportunities to practice.  A noticeable change too is that he's started to become more attached to his Mommy.  I've been here this whole time, but if Casey was around too, then it was all about his Da-da.  Maybe it's because he's been sick so much, but who knows.  It's nice to know that at this age that my kiddo likes me:)
   It's nice to go to the doctor when it's for a well visit.  I'm hoping we can make it till our next well check at 18 months to see the pediatrician!  His 15 month visit went really well!  Casey and I got an A+ for how well Caden is doing!  His stats from that visit are:
Height: 31.5 in. (63%)
Weight: 22 lbs. 3.2 oz. (41%)
Head Circumference: 18.74 in. (73%)
   I still struggle finding pants/shorts for this kid that he can hold up because his waist is so tiny!!!  He needs 12-18 months size for the length, but it's tricky to find stuff that will stay up.  Oh to have this struggle in my own life! Ha!  Caden is still a ball of energy that doesn't like to sit still for long, so I get a good workout trying to keep up with him.  He likes to throw pretty much all of his toys, but we are working on teaching him that balls are the only thing that's okay to do.  We've entered the lovely phase of life where we whine and cry when we don't get our way pretty much every single time.  This only lasts a couple months right?!  More like years I know.  Oh well.  The doctor says that's a sign of him maturing and growing up, so I choose to look at it like that. We are doing A LOT of maturing at our house right now!
   Caden John is still the best blessing to our lives with each new day! So glad we get to share our lives with him!  Love you sweet boy!!!

This meltdown is because I wouldn't let him
play in the refrigerator. No joke.

 

Caden with his cousin Sophia! 
These kids are almost a year apart.

 

This kid loves to climb up on our kitchen chairs.

 

Waving hi to his Daddy!

"for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."  Proverbs 2:8

Valentine's Day 2015

   This lovely day of love was busy for the Hixon house, but I'd say we all enjoyed it thoroughly!  It started off with this Momma getting to sleep in, which is always a welcomed treat.  Then my sweet baby boy walked into the bedroom to give me a single rose.  Melt my heart!  Caden and Casey went on from there to cook us pancakes for breakfast.  Yummy!!!  Everyone got some Valentine goodies that put smiles on their faces.
   I had to leave my boys for a few hours around lunch to help throw one of my very bestest friends a baby shower.  I'm so glad she was able to come down from Dallas so we could shower her and her little boy before he makes his arrival in March!  It's going to be amazing to see both of us being the mother little boys and I can't wait to see them playing together.  Excited to meet you Forrest!
   After the baby shower was completed, I swung by Double Dave's Pizza to get some pizza and pepperoni rolls for our dinner.  I had told Casey awhile back that I did not want to go out to any restuarant the entire weekend.  Last year when Valentine's was on a Friday, we went out the day after and still waited a couple of hours, so I did not want to repeat that again.  Since calories don't count on Valentine's (humor me), we indulged in some Double Dave's and then once Caden was in bed, enjoyed some s'mores on our fire pit in the backyard.
   It was a busy, but low key day. It was perfect.  Love my boys and each day I feel blessed to have them in my life.  Here's to making each day filled with love!!!

Caden helping Daddy cook breakfast

So happy to help in all the action!

Valentine presents for all!

One of my handsome Valentines hard at work

 

My beautiful BFF Laura

Best friends from birth

My little Valentine showing off his
muscles to all the ladies!

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

First Weekend Away

   So in mid-January marked Casey and I's first full weekend away from our kiddo!  Caden had done just one night away at his grandparent's house several times before, but at almost 13 months old we had never done 2 nights in a row!  This Momma ain't going to deny she needed the break.  With multiple episodes of illness and Caden starting a habit of waking up during the night again, I was needing some R&R to recharge. 
   I may have shown too much excitement in Caden's presence because the week of this much anticipated getaway he gets sick AGAIN (December dealt him an upper respiratory infection and ear infection, New Year's was a bacterial infection).  Took him to the doctor just to make sure that it was only a cold and nothing worse to give us parents peace of mind to go out of town still.  Thankfully it was just that, and he was at the worst of it, so come Friday when we would be leaving he would most likely be on the upswing.
   Friday I'm hoping I can get Caden to take 2 naps for me because he had been napping pretty well that week, but of course the day I need to get a bunch of stuff done that I can't do with him awake, he sleeps like 30 minutes in the morning and maybe an hour in the afternoon.  Of all days, my child decides to start the attachment phase.  Seriously, this couldn't wait until Monday to start?!  I'm convinced my child knew his parents were going somewhere without him and that we were looking forward to going without him, so he made sure he made his Mommy feel guilty!  I could hardly put the boy down and forget leaving the room without him without massive crying and tears!
   So I'm thinking once we get over to the grandparent's house that he goes over to once a week he'll be fine.  He loves going over to spend time with his grandparents one afternoon every week and they have a dog who is an angel to Caden!  Plus, he even had the bonus of seeing his Uncle Joel who came into town for the weekend!  But the tears and clinginess continued, so I left their house listening to my baby cry his eyes out.  This was not how this was suppose to go in my head, far from it!  Like any mother who hates to leave their crying baby (much less one that is not feeling well), I cried on the way home in the car.  That kid is good, he got to me.  Thankfully, Caden's crying (and mine too) were short lived.  My mother in-law sent me a picture of him later happy as can be playing with their dog.  What a stinker.
   Our marriage retreat was beyond wonderful, we had a great time together learning about the 4 seasons of marriage and what we need to do to keep our marriage enriched and thriving.  The speaker we had was the new Marriage & Family minister our church has hired, and after hearing him speak I'm excited to see what great things God is going to use him to do for our church.  It was great to get to spend so much quality time with Casey, just chatting about whatever.  We had gone last year to the marriage retreat as well, but we also brought 2 month old Caden with us, so this was our first year kid free and what a difference that was.  We stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Waller on the way up and at another table another baby was crying.  Before kids, I probably would have started to get annoyed after a minute of it, but now I just tuned it right out.  I knew it wasn't my child screaming, so I just continued happily eating my meal with 2 hands and enjoyed not having to be in that parent's shoes.
   My lovely mother in-law sent me pictures the whole weekend of my sweet boy (who I did miss terribly).  He had so much fun with his grandparents and Uncle Joel, which did my heart good to see.   Caden even took a nap during church, which he NEVER does for me, but I'm glad he does for his Grandma. Spending a weekend learning how to make our marriages even better, made me even more grateful for the amazing, godly man the good Lord placed in my life.  Thanks for asking me to be your wife Casey, best decision ever!!!

 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exits and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."  Hebrews 11:6

Christmas 2014

Well it's only almost 2 months since Christmas, so that's not to terrible to finally blog about it right?  Even if it is, here I go!  We didn't go out of town thankfully!  After dealing with a sick baby over Thanksgiving and getting over an upper respiratory infections in our house, I was glad to be staying put.  We did travel a bit between our two families and had the traditional Christmas meal 3 times over 2 days, but it was absolutely wonderful!
     Caden was so much more involved this year!  He didn't fully unwrap a lot of his presents (got tired of having to work at it so hard and sitting still), but he loved ripping off the bows (including gifts that weren't his own!)  Since this little guy has a November birthday and got an insane amount of toys from his party, Casey and I opted to get him no toys and buy him practical things he needed.  No lie, the kid had a toothbrush holder in his stocking.  Our rationale was that at this age he just likes to unwrap the gifts/play with the boxes and this is probably the only year we can get away with getting him things like a mat for his bathtub and clothes.  Plus, we knew his aunts/uncles and grandparents would get him some fun toys.   Santa agreed Caden had been good this year and brought him a power tool set, so the little guy had something fun to unwrap on Christmas morning at home.
     By the end of Christmas Day, our family of three was happy and full.  Here are a few pictures to highlight the holiday season:

2013

 

2014 (can barely fit in there,
wow what a difference a year makes!)

Wish it wasn't blurry, but loving his bean bag chair from
Grandma & Grandpa!

 

Stockings full of goodies for all!

Caden getting some help from his Daddy on
Christmas morning

Helping his Pawpaw load the Nerf gun

Hixon Family Christmas Photo 2014



Caden giving the dog a treat through the doggie door at
my parent's house

 

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and once voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Romans 15:5-6

Pictures with Santa

I'm such a bad blogger!!  The business of the holidays plus Caden being sick has not allowed me much time to blog.  Since its February and Christmas holidays seem like a distant memory, allow me and my bad blogging habits to take you back in time.  Despite myself not feeling 100% some of this time, our holidays were great!  It was great to compare this Christmas season and last with Caden.  In 2013, he was barely a month old and this year he's walking all over the place.  Meeting the big guy in the red suit was also a different experience compared to last year.
     Seeing Santa in 2013 was a total breeze!  Caden slept the entire time and it was easy to get a picture.  This past Christmas went pretty well, but not quite as easy.  With Caden's mobility comes the dislike of sitting still even if you've got a white beard and a red suit.  Combine that with a dirty diaper on top of needing a nap, results in no smiles for pictures and wanting to get down on the ground to roam where he wanted.  The lovely photographer was able to get some good shots though, so that made this Mommy happy.  I couldn't get the photographers pictures to upload on blogger, so these shots are ones I took with my phone.

Dec. 2014 (1 yr. old)

Dec. 2013 (Caden is 3 weeks old)



"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh..."  Galatians 5:16-17