October

October 30-31, 2007 - What is Halloween for a seven-month-old except for a candy-grab and a photo-op for the parents benefit! The following is an onslaught of photos to document Kaden's first Halloween. Fun, fun, fun!!!

On the eve of Halloween Dad and Kaden peruse his new Halloween book (thanks Nanna and Poppa).

We also take the requisite before and after shots...
               

And of course....there are always more pictures than necessary...(you should see how many we didn't post!)

Between the onslaught of pictures and our first trip out trick-or-treating, our half-man/half-beast takes 5 for some playtime...maybe he's one quarter man and three quarters beast?!?

Finally, we make the big trek next door for our first official Halloween trick-or-treat...with a stop for a photo-op beside our lit jack-o-lantern on the way ;]

October 27, 2007 - With Halloween on our doorstep we join our friends Caroline, Hans, Amber and Arthur for a trip to a pumpkin patch, in Steveston. Yes, we realize we can get a pumpkin from the grocery store, but where's the fun in that (and would the photos be as cute)?!? Caroline reflected back to her pictures from last year when the twins would sit and be posed like we were doing with Kaden this year. Now that she has two toddlers on her hands, it's a whole different ball game. Next year will be interesting for sure! True to form, you can see Kaden's patented furrow even at the patch!

Post-pumpkin patch we all head to the most amazing playground we have ever seen...of course all you get to see is the fun Kaden is having on the swings!

October 25, 2007 - HOORAY FOR BABIES!!! Kaden sends a big WELCOME to his two newest buddies! Uncle Chris and Aunt Shannon gave birth to their son Braydon at 3:54am (EST). Braydon is a few weeks early, but still clocked in at a healthy 5lbs 10oz. Karyn and Gerald welcomed their little boy, Ellis, this morning at 9:19am (PST). He managed to outweigh Kaden at a whopping 9lbs 10oz!

 

You can witness the evolution of mom trying to use her son again for a photo-op! The first lesson is...use more tape...


October 22, 2007 - I wonder if the lady at Gymboree gets paid commission?!? We went in looking for mittens, and came out with a hat/mitten combo (first picture...common, how cute is that?!?) and another hat just for good measure. She sure was good at her job! However, it looks like the moose is suspicious of the dog!

October 21, 2007 - I shouldn't turn my back on Dad with Kaden...I would think that the mat underneath him would be sufficient padding for when he topples over. Maybe this is to keep the aliens from reading his mind?!?

October 20, 2007 - The Calvert clan heads to the pool for some swimming fun! You'll notice in most shots that Kaden is paying no attention to us! Why would he with so many other kids to watch and sounds to distract him? But he's getting so much better at kicking up a storm and reaching for things in front of him. He also digs floating around on his back when in the life jacket. Check out the new swimming gear too...much better for keeping babes' bodies warm.

Kaden sure has come a long way since his first dip in the pool.

Kaden's favourite blocks definitely hold his attention longer to keep him on his tummy...but even those lose their staying power after a while ;]

Unlike the early days, Kaden really loves his bath now. He pushes with all his might to get on his back and kick his heart out. And of course, what would baby photos be without the gratuitous bum shot...cute cottage cheese bum.

Compare back to last month's video when Kaden calmly knocked his Nemo friends off the tub wall.
Now look at our splash-master-general!

 

October 19, 2007 - Kaden's mysterious soother collection. Okay...not the greatest photo of our son, but he just woke up from a nap. The reason I am posting this is that I am amazed at how he managed to secure all of these soothers! Yes, we do keep a stash of soothers in the crib so that we can find one in the dark if needed at night. However, I put Kaden down for his nap in the position you see him lying. He had one soother in his mouth (which is now one of the ones by his elbow). A second soother was above his head (and is now the other soother by his elbow). However, the third soother (the one that was obviously in his mouth last) was at the other end of the crib...how did he manage to get it and still be lying the way I left him. Crafty.

Kaden the wild animal???
You can see why breast-feeding mothers don't like teeth.
 

October 18, 2007 - At our monthly trip to the nurse's office, Kaden weighed in at 20lbs 10oz. Amazing. Hard to believe that he is apparently only in the 80th percentile for weight. Can you imagine a bigger baby at this stage...I have a new appreciation for Auntie Glenda's stamina and arm strength, cousin Ben was a bigger baby when we was this age! Good for hand me downs though ;]  Don't let the smiling baby in the highchair fool you...shortly before these photos he was spitting carrots! Not a big fan I guess, unless mixed with apple. Everything tastes better with apple!

Okay, carrots and broccoli are not high on Kaden's yum-list yet, but
when he finds a food he likes he'll keep opening his mouth to get more.
I present to you...rice cereal with banana mush...
 

This was our third attempt at a baby rice cracker. The first was a couple weeks ago, and unlike everything else, Kaden didn't even try to put the cracker in his mouth. Yesterday was our first attempt at actual eating. I ate one as well in the hopes that he would mimic me. He managed to get the cracker to his mouth, but was less than impressed by what he got. "I have to bite and chew?!?" To top if off the crackers are pretty much like styrofoam as far as I can tell. However, they do melt in the mouth -after becoming very sticky. Here is today's account of the cracker eating...

Here is the video evidence of Kaden's cracker experience.
Despite the sticking then melting attributes of the cracker, Kaden still finds a way to gag on it!
 

Oh the life of a seven-month old.

Not only will Kaden sit and play, but he will try to reach for things by lunging for them.
It works better when the objects of his desire cannot roll away...
 

October 16, 2007 - This toy belonged to me as a child. I wonder if I played it like a flute as well...perhaps that's where I got my start?!

A new toy (well 30years old...but new for Kaden) - what fun!
 

October 14, 2007 - Another gorgeous fall day. I'm sure there are chores to be done around the house, but it's much better to take advantage of the weather, especially when Daddy's home. We spent the morning at the park and then joined our friends for an afternoon walk at Queen Elizabeth park. You'll notice Kaden has graduated to his 'big boy' car seat. It's still rear-facing, but it's just another sign of how fast he's growing. It will obviously do the trick as he managed to nod off on the way home from the park.

October 14, 2007 - I don't think Kaden quite knows what to do with his new beanbag creatures...but Dad does. I present - Kaden the moose...

October 13, 2007 - Kaden models a sweater-set given to him by some friends. Hard to believe it fits him already, but it's the perfect season for it. Blue is really his colour - it brings out his eyes ;] I'm sure in the first photo, Kaden is thinking, "what happened to my ears?"!

October 11, 2007 - As always, it's hard to tell who or what is the real toy! Kaden has his toys and Dad has Kaden!

October 9, 2007 - They say kids are just as easily amused with regular household objects as they are with toys. So we give the ol' bowl and spoon a try.

I'm not sure Kaden's ready to be a drummer in a rock band yet.
However, I think he remembers from dinner that the spoon goes in the bowl and usually good things come out!
    

October 8, 2007 - Sporting the latest in fall fashions, Kaden takes a serious look at a colourful, spinny gizmo...followed by a photo shoot ;]

October 7, 2007 - After a morning at the aquarium, we enjoy a quiet Thanksgiving Sunday around the house (the rain pretty much kept us there). And no, just because Kaden happened to find the controller on the couch (and looked pretty cute sporting the headset) it doesn't mean he's ready to play Halo3!

I'm not sure if Kaden is trying to tell us about his trip to the aquarium or
if he's commenting on dad's new look - no beard and a new hair cut!
 

October 5, 2007 - "Mr. No Smiles" gets out to "enjoy" a lovely fall day. Yeesh...try to get some nice outdoor photos and what does it get me? "Fall colours...whatever." ... "Harumph, what good are they if you can't grab them." ... "Why must I sit on this bench?!?"

At least the swing gave him some pleasure. Weeeee....

We bought a new toy from our adventures to Granville Island (no it's not a bong), but I think Dad had more fun using Kaden as the toy ;]

October 4, 2007 - Pilates must have been invented by a baby. Look at that flexibility.

I'm not sure what joke Kaden was thinking of...he thought it was funny.
Maybe he was hoping we'd go back to the pool. Check out those kicks!
 

October 2, 2007 - Kaden has discovered he has wrists and that he can pick things up to examine and eat. You'll notice as well that Kaden has discovered he can twist and reach...somehow this is better than just rolling onto his tummy to get the prize!

Kaden is getting more dexterous at picking things up and checking them out.
Wrists are a cool thing for sure.