My Ode to Baby Wipes

For the end of April, the entire month of May, and first half of June our sweet little boy has been battling a bad yeast infection.  Most of this time Caden hasn't seemed bothered by it, which is good. Treatment for it is to put a prescription cream (Nyastatin) on him 4 times a day.   Doesn't sound that bad right?!  Wait for the kicker, you can't use baby wipes!  Ugh!!!  Apparently, there is something in the baby wipes that won't kill the yeast, so you have to use wet paper towels.  Caden has had a couple of these in the past (seems after a round of antibiotics, yeast infections are not uncommon), but after maybe a couple days use of the Nyastatin, it clears right up.  For some reason, this time around has taken way longer.
     You can't just leave your bag of wipes in the diaper bag, but have to make sure that you pack a bag of wet paper towels, which aren't as easy to pull out as wipes.  With pregnancy brain, having something else to remember is not ideal either.  Having said all this, I have come to appreciate the baby wipe, so here is my ode I have written:

Yeast o yeast, you are a beast!
I don't like dealing with you in the least.
Baby wipes you are the best.
Having to use wet paper towels for the past month I do detest.
So whenever you see a baby wipe please be in awe
For they truly are one of the many gifts from God.

I look forward to the day when I can actually use the baby wipes in my diaper bag, but I'm honestly somewhat hesitant because I don't want to start this saga all over again.  There are worse problems though, so we'll keep on trucking!

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride."  Ecclesiastes 7:8

A Weekend At The Lake

This past weekend we decided to take a last minute trip to visit Casey's grandfather in Marble Falls.  We love going up there, and wish we got to do it more often, but the craziness of life and a 4 hour car trip for a toddler get in the way.  Not only did Caden get to see his Pawpaw Ben, but Casey's youngest brother Joel (who we call Uncle Jo-jo, but for Caden it comes out "Sho-sho" at this point), his cousin Brandy and her son Corwin were also there!  Our little guy got to ride Pawpaw Ben's "tractor", play in the sprinkler, and spend lots of time outside (his favorite!)
   In the past Caden has slept awful when we go here, but in his defense the past couple times he's either gotten sick while there or was about to be.  Both nights this time around, he slept great in his pack and play! Only time he didn't do well sleep wise was the 20 minute nap on the way home Sunday afternoon!  Ugh!  I purposefully kept him awake so he would sleep on the drive home, but Caden decided otherwise.  We made it there and back thankfully without too much crying/screaming and crankiness.  Thank goodness for Veggie Tales and DVD players in cars!
   We all loved getting away and seeing family we don't get to see that often!

Caden LOVED playing on Pawpaw Ben's tractor

Caden and his Daddy driving the tractor together!

A boy and his bat

Caden and his "Sho-sho" playing on the bed

Tuckered out from a long, fun weekend!

"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.  The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."  John 14:21

18 Months Already!

I can't believe a month ago today exactly, our little boy turned a year and a half!  Two is less than six months away now! Craziness!!  He is still super active and sitting still is not high on his priority list, but that's okay.  His little personality is definitely developing and it's fun (and at times challenging) to watch. Here's a little snapshot of where our sweet boy is at this age:

Weight: 24 lbs. (48%)
Height: 32.75 in. (63%)
Head Circumference:19.13 in. (82%)
Teeth: 12!
Favorite Words to Say: Uh-oh, no-no-no, si (which is his version of "outside", but said with the most southern drawl ever!), bi-ba ("bible")
Favorite Activities: playing outside (he'd be there 24 hours a day if he could!), using my Bible for Kids app on my phone, watching golf on TV (sounds odd I know, but this kid SERIOUSLY LOVES to watch the "ball" on TV, I've watched more with him than my almost 30 years of life before he came combined!), saying his animal sounds (the elephant and pig are my favs), playing on the bed
Other Random Fun Facts:
         -Caden's favorite number is 2!  I always start by saying 1,2,3 to help him learn his numbers, but
          if you ask him to count, he'll just say 2.
         -Almost always if he sees anything orange, he'll hold up his hand and say "Ssss"because orange
          is the color of fire and we don't touch fire.  Right now we're just rolling with it so he won't
          want to touch the stove or oven.
         -Caden is becoming quite the sweet little helper when we're at the store by handing me things out of the cart to               put on the belt at the registers.  Love seeing his servant heart already.
         -When you ask him to say "Caden" he always replies "Daddy" or "Da-da".  Since he's so much
          like his father, this makes total sense to me!  Definitely still a daddy's boy, but "Ma-ma" now
          exists too and occasionally preferred (mainly at bedtime).

Caden with his "B"

Caden wanted to shave too before church on Sunday

Fell asleep at Grandpa and Grandma's house.
He slept for 4 hours!!!

Loves bath time, or as Caden calls it
"Splash, splash"

We are so blessed to have this little guy in our lives and I can't wait to see the awesome big brother he'll be!  Love you Caden John!

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments."  Deuteronomy 7:9

The Low Down on the Pregnancy with Hixon baby #2 So Far

4 wks. with Hixon Baby #2

12 wks. with Hixon Baby #2

When I was pregnant with Caden, I took pictures each month to see how both he and I were growing.  As a #2 child myself, I'm trying very hard to follow (as close as I can) the same things I did with my first pregnancy, so child #2 doesn't feel slighted.  So very sorry Hixon baby #2, but there is no picture at 8 weeks because from starting at about 5 weeks, I have felt AWFUL ALL DAY LONG AND EVERY DAY!  With Caden I experienced the tiredness and morning sickness/nausea periodically in the day (which didn't even start till about 8 wks.), but as long as I ate something, it went away and I was okay.  This time around is a completely different story!

   Right at 5 weeks, the nausea hit me like a ton of bricks and would pretty much last the entire day.  I was eating anything and everything to try to see what would help, which made that number on the scale go up faster than I wanted too.  One day it would seem like one thing would help,but the next day it would make me even more nauseated.  This did wonders for our grocery and eating out bills let me tell you!  Even when I ate sometimes, the nausea would not subside.  I couldn't figure out a way to win, which was frustrating.  I tried supplements (which didn't seem to help that much) and my sweet best friend sent me some Preggie Pops (those did help some while I had one in my mouth, but no really lasting effects).  Since there are all these ads on the TV these days about Zofran causing birth defects, my doctor didn't want to give me any prescription stuff since I was still eating and gaining weight, so it's been pretty much survival and endurance mode.  Casey was a saint I must say, cooking dinner when he came home, playing with Caden, and making sure I was taken care of too. It's been challenging this 1st trimester, but I feel like the past few days it seems to be getting better. Evenings are usually hard for me, but the mornings and afternoon aren't as bad as long as I eat ever so often.  I hope I didn't just jinx it by putting it in writing.  This brings me hope as I near the end of the 1st trimester, that this nausea is fading and will not last the whole pregnancy! Thank goodness!!!

   Since this pregnancy has been so different from Caden's so far, could Hixon baby #2 be a girl? Possibly.  Maybe it's another boy who wants me to make sure I know that he's his own person and not the same as his big brother.  Message received little one and don't worry, I will remember your pregnancy as well!  We'll have to wait about 7ish more weeks before we find out the gender, but I know God will give us what we need!

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:19

Our Little Fisherman

A few weeks ago, Casey's work had a crawfish boil for the employees and their families.  While I'm not a fan of the mud bugs personally, it's always nice to visit Casey's work and enjoy some family fun together at a place my husband loves to work.  Right outside Casey's building where he works, there's a pond that they keep stocked with some fish that employees can feed.  Since we were coming up for the crawfish boil, Casey wanted to take Caden fishing at the pond.  Off to Academy we went a couple days before to get Caden his fishing pole.  Seriously I don't know who was more excited about the fishing, Casey or Caden!  Rarely does Casey ask me to take pictures of something (usually because I already am), but this was a big deal so it was a request I did not deny!  First, the boys fed the fish, which Caden enjoyed because he got to throw something and then watch the water splash!  Then when it came to the fishing he was equally enamored!  So serious and focused, like his Daddy!  He also wanted to get in the water with the fish, but that was really the only big issue.  Casey grew up fishing, and it's special to see the tradition being passed down another generation to continue for a long time!  I see many fishing trips in our future!

"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

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