The Naked Vampire Dentist

This blog post is a little of everything.  Just know that in advance and you'll feel right at home. 

Every night when we're done with dinner we go into Kaden's room, change his diaper, strip him down and then bring him into the bathroom.  He stands outside the tub while we fill it up and gets so excited! Every night he jumps up and down and sometimes gets so excited that he pees all over the floor. (True story. I think we've used an entire bottle of Clorox wipes in just one summer.)  Can you blame him though? Bath time is really quite exciting.  The irony of it all though is that the kid never actually stays in the tub.  He's so into standing and walking right now that he'd rather be anywhere but in the actual tub.  He is constantly diving over the side of the little inflatable tub, pulling himself up to the soap dish, (sometimes eating the soap before we can grab it away), grabbing the faucet, pulling the plug on his tub, etc, etc... Kaden is quite the wild child.  

(Excuse the bum shot but you can't get the full effect without it.)

Trying to figure out how to get the soap bottle in the corner.  He eventually dove for it and almost got really hurt, had it not been for Curtis' heroic efforts to pull him back at the last second.

I'm also going to make a prediction about Kaden's future job.  I think he may be a dentist because he is obsessed with toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouths.  He is always carrying this tube of toothpaste around and anytime Curtis and I are brushing our teeth he freezes and smiles and follows us around to try and get the toothbrushes from us.

In other news about dentistry, Kaden has been getting quite a few teeth in the last few weeks.  He is getting 2 more on the bottom and 4-6 on the top (we can't quite tell for sure yet).  The funny thing is that his canine (fangs) teeth are coming in first on the top.  They look like fangs.  Kaden's cousin Jace actually had the same thing happen, so maybe it is a weird Fairbourn trait they have both inherited, I don't know.  I keep trying to get a picture but they haven't quite poked through the skin enough that you can tell on the camera, so I'll post one as soon as I can get one to work.

And now for some strange sleeping pictures of Kaden... You may recall as a newborn he was quite the crazy sleeper, always coming out of his pajamas.  (If you have no clue what I'm talking about, go to my 2012 post called "Little Houdini.")  He has just historically slept in very strange positions and continues to do so.  If you need a little refresher, here's some pics from his infancy-

Thumb in the eye...

Nearly naked boxer...

 Meditating...

 Over the lap...

 Cowboy lasso prep position...

Daddy's shoulder (not so weird but sweet)

11 months. This is the short end of the crib. Doesn't that look so uncomfortable with his hands/feet through the crib railings? Ugh.

 11 1/2 months.  I wish I'd been able to get a side view of this picture so you can see how high his bum was in the air.  He sleeps like this on a regular basis as of late with his legs and arms tucked under and bum sticking way up high. So weird!

The Toilet Drummer and the Goat

July 23, 2013 was a magnificent day in our lives.  CFA results day.  After taking his test June 1st and waiting an agonizing 7 weeks for the results we found out that Curtis passed Level 2 of the CFA!!! This is huge!! For those of you who don't know what the CFA is, it is like a CPA-type professional designation for Finance people.  There are 3 levels, and supposedly level 2 is the hardest.   Last year Curtis started studying in December and studied 6-8 hours a day to pass level 1. This year, because of school and his internship search he didn't start studying until March and had to do 10-12 hours a day to be done and ready by June 1st.  It was a horribly un-fun 2 months for our whole family so thankfully he passed.  It is really a miracle though.  I feel like Heavenly Father has really blessed Curtis because he didn't even finish reading all the material.  I honestly feel like his dedication to not studying on Sunday in order to keep the Sabbath holy was what helped him make up the difference.  Anyway, I am very proud of him and many prayers of gratitude were said at our house last week.

(This is a terrible picture photo-quality-wise so please pardon the lack of awesomeness.  The door banner says, "Congrats Curtis! July 23, 2013 You killed Level 2" with a picture of the words CFA level 2 on a headstone.  We can thank my years of first grade teaching for this juvenile display I created...")

Just for clarification the title of my blog has nothing to do with Curtis.  He is sadly neither a toilet drummer, nor a goat.  Sorry to disappoint you.  That would be referring to the other male in this household, Kaden.  I'm sure a picture says a thousand words.  Yes, it's true, I may not ever win mother of the year award because my son likes to drum on the toilet seat and (gasp) I let him.  I do always wash his hands afterwards, lest you germ freaks think less of me.

To be quite honest, this kid has a complete obsession with the bathroom right now.  Anytime I turn my back on him for a second he bolts for the bathroom and he is fast, let me tell you.   I try to remember to keep the bathroom doors closed all the time but anytime it's not shut all the way he gets in and gets into what he likes.  I'm pretty sure he's determined to make sure that the cabinet is always open, my baskets of things are all over the floor and nothing in the basket has remained "unsampled" if you will.

Kaden has a fetish for eating things he shouldn't.  In the last week I have had to take away many non-food items from him that he has started to make some serious headway on, had I let him keep eating: Dove soap (he snatched it while he was in the tub and took a big chunk out of it before Curtis or I could get it from him), he ate the label off of a bottle of Midol (which I yanked out of his mouth), he always eats my contact lens case if I forget to put it up high instead of in the bathroom basket at his level, and cardboard of any sort, including board books from the library. (Sorry Charlotte Mecklenburg taxpayers for destruction of many library board books this summer.  Death by slobber.)

I swear he is turning into a goat and would eat metal cans if I'd offer them to him.  The irony of all the weird stuff he's tried to eat this week is that I have to trick him into eating "real" food.  He has utterly refused almost all food in the last week so I've had to get creative.  Yes, that is part of his breakfast spread around the coffee table.  I've noticed if I put out finger foods for him to eat while he is playing, he'll eat them but if I offer him the same handful of Chex in his high chair he will gag and scream and refuse to eat them, so I've taken the liberty to make our lives more peaceful and figure as long as he just eats I don't care where he eats it (as long as it's not the bathroom.)

And yes, last but certainly not least... Guess who is walking all by himself?  Kaden took his first steps last Saturday when Curtis and I both happened to be home and playing with him. It was probably the highlight of the summer to see how excited he was to do it all by himself.  He was giggling and smiling the entire 3 steps and then clapped for himself for a good minute afterwards.  It's amazing how much better he's gotten in just a week.  We are proud of our little monkey.  He is growing up so quickly.

Kaden's Look Alike

Alright, this is silly but since it's been an ongoing topic between my family I'm going to throw it out there to get some opinions. Who do you think Kaden looks the most like? I think he has my face shape and eyes but Tyler's nose and Curtis' chin.  I also think Kaden has Curtis' curious antics :)

Kaden

  

My Brother Tyler (age 1)

Gentri (age 1)

My sister Missy (age 1)

Baby Curtis (not sure how old)

Well, what do you think? Please let me know...

11 Month Old Kaden

Well hello again.  I can't believe the little man is a month away from being one. That seems crazy, it's all gone so fast.  This picture says it all. He loves to stand, to grab, to pull on things. Kaden is such a fun and energetic little man and here's a look into his life at 11 months... 

Kaden is into EVERYTHING!!!! Curiosity is this boy's middle name and he will think of things that I'd never dream he could get into.  Just the other day I turned my back for a second and he pulled a cookie sheet from the cupboard, cracked open his snack cup and dumped it all over and sat in it to enjoy his feast of Cheerios.

 Please tell me I'm not the only one who has a kitchen that looks like this...

 Fleeing the scene of the crime...

 This boy is the messiest eater you've ever met. We have literally tried like 6 different types of bibs to find one to keep him somewhat clean at mealtimes.  (Pretty sure I've exhausted Target's full supply.) Yet every night I still find enormous amounts of food in his clothes and stuck to his body- avocado chunks, peas, corn, berries, cheerios, puffs, crackers, you name it, it falls out of his shirt and shorts every time I change him.  I found corn in his ears the other day too! 

We found these genius bibs at Ikea that are like a paint smock.  So far that has worked better than anything else but when Kaden gets sick of being in his high chair he smears everything on his tray in his hair and ears and throws the remainder on the floor. Unfortunately for me, our Charlotte apartment has white carpet under the kitchen table area! Whose ridiculous idea was that? Obviously someone with no kids. I will personally guarantee it will be nowhere near white by the time August rolls around and we move out.

 I have to remind myself what a blessing he is when he's being a stinker (which is most mealtimes.)  He's become a very particular eater lately and only wants fruit, especially peaches and strawberries.  Of course I'm never going to just give him fruit and I purposely give him that last at every meal or he won't eat anything else. I've had to start hiding the fruit so he doesn't see it because if he sees it he'll cry until we give it to him, then clench both of his fists and get mad and pound his tray.  I hope this is a phase he'll grow out of, otherwise he's going to end up malnourished and with scurvy...

Kaden is so angry every night when we pull him out of the tub. Aren't we mean for ruining his playtime?

 He usually gets over it though :)

 This boy wants to walk so badly and loves to push things around so he can be standing upright

Kaden seems less like a baby every day and more like a little boy.  It's fun but makes me sad too that I don't have a tiny baby anymore.

 I think Kaden looks like my brother Tyler when he was a baby in this picture.  I'll have to get a picture from my mom so all of you can see what I mean.

 The bear crawl with only 1 shoe. Typical Kaden.

We love this little boy! He is sweet and loving and very fun and I truly am grateful to be a mom, even on the boring days and the days when I feel like all I do is pick up toys and try to make eating seem fun and delicious. I hope you loved hearing about him.  Leave me a comment so I know if you stopped by to say hello. :)

June/July Patchwork

I don't have pictures until the end, but I hope that you'll read this post anyway. :)

In June I had a really cool opportunity that I think every returned missionary dreams of. (At least that was my thought.)  Two of the people I taught from beginning to baptism in Hungary came to NY to visit and they came to Rochester to spend a few days with us.  Now for those of you who may be thinking, "wait, but don't you live in Charlotte, NC for the summer Gentri?" you'd be correct. Why, yes friends we do.  I didn't have the heart to tell Ildiko and Bence that we wouldn't be there for the summer so I did a little road trip with Kaden. Yup, just the two of us from Charlotte, NC to Rochester, NY.  Now before you think I'm too crazy, just know that it wasn't terrible.  I split the 13 hour drive up into two days so Kaden wouldn't go crazy on me.  Kaden was actually really quite good in the car.  He slept a majority of the time and when he wasn't sleeping I kept a basket of toys and snacks on the front seat and would toss him a toy or hand him a cracker if he got fussy.

I think the hardest part was when we stopped at a gas station to fill up and I needed to use the bathroom.  Usually Curtis and I just take turns holding Kaden while the other one uses the bathroom.  I didn't really even think about what to do with him until I got into the bathroom and realized, "Oh no. Now what?"  I tried a variety of options: strapping him to the baby changing table that I could reach while I was on the toilet to hold him on (bad idea), putting his shoes on and propping him up in the corner to stand and scrubbing his hands with soap when we were done (okay idea), and about everything else in between.  Let me just say I'm grateful for all those stores that have one of those little "child seats" in the big bathroom.  It's like a chair on the stall wall with a seatbelt. Genius! If only, if only...

We made a fantastic halfway stop in DC to stay with Mindy (Chidester) White, one of my best friends since the ugly days (middle school, ha). We had a great time chatting and stayed up way, way too late! I always feel so grateful for friends like her that I can see only a handful of times in a year or every few years and yet there's never any awkward small talk or catch up chat.  We can always just jump back into whatever we want to talk about.  I think everyone needs at least one friend like that.

Now onto some highlights from Bence and Ildiko's visit.  It seems that this was the weekend of things not going right.  We went to the Palmyra temple.  I called months in advance and had made arrangements for them to have a Hungarian baptismal card for Bence, Hungarian headset for the session for Ildiko. arranged for a friend to watch Kaden, etc... The only thing I forgot- to renew my recommend! Argh! I was soooo disappointed.  I sat in the foyer and cried that I couldn't go in with them.  After awhile a sweet temple worker came over and asked if I was okay. I said no and told her the history behind the people I'd come with and how Ildiko had always wanted to come to the temple in the US with me since her baptism.  She listened and said, "Well isn't it wonderful that they're worthy to be here?" It got me thinking that as an RM isn't that what my greatest accomplishment could be would be to see two worthy people 6 years after their baptisms that are still active in the church and worthy to hold temple recommends?  It was a bright spot in my day. (Bence and Ildiko in the Sacred Grove)

I dare say my Hungarian vocab is a bit rusty after being home for 5 years, but I can still speak pretty well.  Taking them to the church sites was a super sweet spiritual experience for me.   Though I may not have been able to remember all the chit-chat vocab I wanted to, I was able to translate simply and easily at all the church sites. It brought tears to my eyes to remember that the Lord called me to Hungary to share the gospel, not to chit-chat, and I was grateful that I was able to still use the most important vocab I'd learned for that purpose.

 What's more American than a s'more? It was raining about 95% of their visit to Rochester so unfortunately we couldn't do them the real way around a campfire, but they got the idea. (I actually showed them pictures of how you're really supposed to eat these when you're camping.)  I gave them the stuff to take with them back to Hungary to introduce s'mores to their friends and family back home. They loved them!

 We went to Niagara Falls and I didn't realize that you needed a baby's birth certificate to go to the Canadian side. Argh. So Kaden and I hung out in NY while Bence and Ildiko went to the cool side. Oh well.

 Cooking Hungarian food in my kitchen

Can we just all stop for a moment to appreciate shirts with English on them that aren't actually made by people who fluently speak English? Bence's pajama shirt says, "Sports Casual, bang bang, Pineapple Juice." Haha!! Missy and I loved it.

Side note: Curtis had a plane ticket to fly from Charlotte to Rochester since he had to work and couldn't take any days off and his flights kept getting delayed and pushed back so he ended up not being able to come. Missy wanted to come visit so she was nice enough to agree to road trip back to Charlotte with me so I didn't have to do it alone. We stopped in Lancaster County, PA to visit the Amish folk.  

Kaden's shirt says, "My Mommy is taken but my aunt is single and hot!"  Obviously a gift from Missy to Kaden :)

 We were supposed to go to a Tongan 4th of July celebration with a roasted pig and all kinds of Tongan fun that some friends in our ward invited us to but it got cancelled because of the rain.  Instead we went to Uptown Charlotte (downtown) to watch fireworks.

 Missy and I explored Uptown together

 And we also taught Missy how to catch fireflies since you can't do that in Utah :)

Come visit again soon Missy! We had a great time with you :)