Aaaaahhhh......Cade is 2.5 years!

Where has the time gone???!! I truly cannot believe Cade is 2.5 years old! Not even sure where to start writing for this blog. Seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital! Unfortunately, due to a stomach bug the other day, we had to go to the doctor. We are all better now, but the doctor measured him in at 38.7 inches tall and 37.5 lbs. So, needless to say, we have a BIG BOY!

Cade is also very intelligent and sometimes a little too smart for his own good! He is starting to recognize the letters "C" and "E" and I think he will pick up letters fast. He can count to 13 (although we get a little mixed up after 10), knows all shapes, and knows all colors (even magenta and the other day he told me "Your shirt not blue is turquoise"....hmmmmm). His language is very advanced and he will string together 2-3 sentences without a breath. He is also known to repeat the same phrase about 20 billion times until you acknowledge him. Our little boy is persistent. In fact, just in the last 2 weeks he has started saying, "No, cause I'm mad!" He uses the phrase at the correct times (anytime we say "no"), and it is usually followed by him throwing a toy or slapping the wall/floor. Currently, this occurs about 10 times per day, so pray this phase passes quickly!

As far as naps/bedtime, he gets about 1.5 hour nap in daily sometime between 2-4pm and will go to bed about 8pm. He is never without "Mr. Froggy" who is his lovey. We still suck our left thumb and are not really sure how to break that habit. I am more concerned about him getting sleep at this point and I guess once potty training is complete we can tackle the thumb sucking. Potty training is going well and we wear underwear most of the time. Cade does well with going peepee on the potty, just not poopoo. He eats just about anything and LOVES his fruit! However, he usually does NOT care for vegetables and we often disguise them with "dipping sauces" at dinner time.

His favorite things to do are: play on phone/computer, watch TV, do puzzles, play outside, read books, play chase (I realize how out of shape I am!), and hide from Baylor. He is full of energy and constantly moving. Favorite TV shows/movies include: Team Umi Zoomi, Little Einstein's, Go Diego Go, Tarzan, and Bob the Builder. About a month ago, he sat through his first Movie with his Daddy ("Puss in Boots"). Charles said he sat quietly and laughed a lot during the movie. Wish I could have been a fly on the wall watching my boys! Everyone is his friend and he is definitely the life of the party anywhere we go. I love to watch him sing songs and talk to his toys. This is such a fun age and his exploration is amazing to watch.

3 recent Cadeism's:
- During an intense disciplinary moment (he had been shoveling water out of the bath in order to "put out the fire") I said, "Look at my eyes Cade" in a firm voice. Cade reluctantly looked at my eyes and then became very concerned. He began to pat me on my back and said, "It be ok Mom, you have bad cracks in your eyes and they hurt you". So, there you have it.
- When a toy fell between the fridge and the wall (Clearly out of his arm reach), Cade yells, "ARMS EXTENDO". Thank you Robot on Team Umi Zoomi for this one.
- When Baylor was trying to lick Caelin, Cade pointed his finger at Baylor and stated, "NO BAYLOR, that is NOT how you treat your baby sister!"

What a ride these last 6 months have been. We look forward to what these next few months will bring. We are so proud of you Cade Beatty and love you "all the way around the world and back again". - Mom and Dad