sniderkin

We’ve been looking for a dresser for Cavan’s room for awhile, but didn’t want to spend a fortune on one since it will likely be drawn on and stickered over the years, and we wanted something cute. Turns out, cheap, durable, and cute are pretty impossible to find so I decided to take it upon myself to buy an unfinished dresser ($39 at IKEA) and paint it myself.

Cavan helps me unpack the pieces of his dresser

My painting setup - priming on the kitchen table. The project took me a total of 4 days because of waiting for paint to dry, having to work primarily during naptime, and having to have everything cleaned up before cooking dinner.

The first day I tried to just lock Cavan out of the kitchen, he played nicely on the chairs for awhile, spent some time throwing things into the kitchen, and then decided the best way to get my attention was to cause trouble in the living room.

I chose to make the dresser blue and orange, I used a super high gloss latex based paint (easy to clean/touch up.) Here’s the blue in progress…

The orange in progress… - notice I had to improvise and raise the panels using canned goods so that I could paint the sides the same day as the faces.

Assembly starts - Cavan was awake during this process, he sat on me and the dresser most of the time, but he did take time to be a good helper.

Here Cavan is inspecting the screws he helped me put in. By help, I mean sat on my lap and held the screwdriver as I tried to turn it.

Once Cavan and I got the dresser assembled, he had to make sure the knobs weren’t loose.

And, the finished project!

Cavan playing with his new dresser, I think he approves!

Cavan and I went to Olive Park along the lakeshore last week when it was nice and sunny. We were both getting over a cold, but I thought the fresh air might help clear it up. If nothing else, it was very nice to get outside!

This is what I see as soon as I unbuckle Cavan from his stroller…His back side as he makes a break for it!

Cavan exploring the park, notice the big puddle in the background? Yeeeah, so did he.

He’s a happy boy, and he loves to explore!

Cavan exploring, notice his feet are moving so fast there’s a blur. He definitely keeps me on my toes!

There’s a long fence that goes along a sort of pier-park out into the lake, Cavan had fun inspecting it.

Who’s that handsome boy?!

I managed to get him to hold still for about 30 seconds by laying down the Lego mat we bought for our next project, the Lego Table!

Cavan really likes to inspect every little thing, he demonstrates this below by poking at a plant. As he was doing this, a herd of young women rode up on shiny rented bikes with bells and Cavan ran over to them as they parked to watch the lake. Luckily they thought he was cute, because he wanted to inspect every one of their bike tires before giving them each a flirty grin. They took turns ringing the bells on the bikes to get him to come over to them.

Here’s a picture I took with my phone during lunch a couple weekends ago, Cavan sitting waiting for his food patiently and playing with his airplane. Shannon didn’t like the faux-hawk, I thought it was cute!

And, in keeping with tradition, here’s your dose of Cavan weirdness:

I was cooking dinner and turned around to see this:

Cavan has also learned that when he’s stashing things away the trash isn’t the best place for them, the filing boxes are! (Note the bunny nibbles - luckily this box hasn’t been in use for some time)

Cavan is 14 months old now, he’s independent, curious, and fairly fearless. Last week we had a playdate at the Chicago Children’s Museum and Cavan loved it! They have a whole floor appropriate for toddler play and Cavan didn’t miss a square inch of it! We’ll definitely have to go back and bring the camera next time.

Lately Cavan has been entertaining himself by walking backwards and crawling backwards, trying to stand on his head, and dragging various things behind him. We think he’ll really enjoy one of the wooden clacker toys that kids can pull behind them, but we’ve got to try to find one.

Cavan still loves dogs. Yesterday at the park there was a big friendly black lab with a toddler the same age as Cavan. Cavan ran over to the dog and after I made sure the dog was okay he had a good time watching the dog play fetch and petting him. The little boy that was with the dog was 14 months old as well, according to his father, but wasn’t as adventurous or as active as Cavan so they didn’t play together.

For Easter Cavan got a basket with a pinwheel in it, a puppy dog puppet, and a few small candy treats. The pinwheel and the puppy dog were big hits, he loves them both and likes to spin the pinwheel in the sun and watch it cast light across the living room.

And, without further adieu… Pictures!

We went to Soldier Field to watch the Easter Candy Grab, a race where kids are sorted by age and allowed to run across the field and grab as much candy off the ground as they can fit in their baskets. Here the kids are lining up…

And bunny says “GO!”

Cavan was a big boy and sat in a stadium chair to watch the race.

And… here’s your dose of Cavan weirdness:

No, lettuce doesn’t grow out of boxes here - Cavan stuffed it in there. Bunny disapproves.

Some weirdness!

This is the suction thing that goes to the clean/dirty dial on the dishwasher. The dial has been missing for quite some time because it was a favorite toy for awhile.

The other day he got 2 balloons at Trader Joe’s. The cashier was spoiling him because he’s cute… I turned around and found him sitting like this, he then proceeded to walk all around the apartment with the balloons somehow tied under his arms…

And… Cavan likes to use the waste paper basket next to the computer desk to store his toys and other treasures in…This collection includes the rabbit’s lettuce, his sippy cup, the cat’s toy, his soccer ball, a shirt, and some blocks.

For awhile Cavan has been sitting on things and having a great time doing it. He likes to walk backwards and back his little butt up to something and sit on it, nothing is safe. We decided it was time that he got his own chair so I ordered one online ($40 at Wal-Mart) and Cavan loves it, the box is also so much fun! As an added bonus, Cavan likes to stand on the chair and look out the window, or play with his cars on the windowsill. Note: These pictures aren’t as nice because I took them with my phone in low light.

Exploring the box-house Daddy made him

Peeking out the window

Hi Mommy!

Am I supposed to stand on this?

Oooh, it’s for sitting!

Relaxing and watching some… whatever that thing is…

During the really nice weather we had not to long ago we visited quite a few parks and the Lincoln Park Zoo. Here are a couple pictures from our super-happy-it’s-so-nice-outside-fun-time.

Cavan’s first carousal ride, he really liked it despite the look of concentration on his face!

Slides are fun!

Tired out and relaxing in the Stegosaurus

A few weekends ago we decided to go explore Chinatown….

A street in Chinatown with the Sears Tower (soon to be the Willis Tower) in the background

Some pretty architecture

The Chinatown Arch

Part of the Dragon Wall (it was too big to fit into one shot…)

Cavan sitting the the main square after burning off all his energy running around it

Shannon by his Zodiac Statue - The Pig

Me by my Zodiac Statue - The Ram

Cavan by his Zodiac Statue - The Rat

For St. Patrick’s Day the city dyes the Chicago River green, bright green! We went down to the river to see it, and afterward there was a parade south of town. Cavan had a lot of fun looking at everything, especially the people all decked out in their sparkly green gear staggering through the streets.

The green river!

Mommy and Cavan by the river

Watching the Parade with Daddy

An update with a whole lot of pictures will be coming soon, as soon as I have some time to sit long enough to write some cohesive thoughts and upload the photos!

Cavan is 13 months old now, so I thought it was time for another update!  Over the last month we’ve all been sick with different variations of a cold and flu, the worst being the stomach flu that kicked this all off.  Shannon and Cavan are better now, but I’m still having issues with a cough and chest congestion.

Our boy is really into playing with blocks lately, our friends brought him some foam blocks that look like wood and some Legos, and he’s been playing with them every day.  He especially likes to offer them to the bunny, and toss them over the top of the baby gate.  He has also decided that when he’s done with his milk for a moment, the sippy cup goes over the baby gate.  Two days ago we went to Trader Joe’s (a grocery store that gives kids balloons) and Cavan got himself a balloon.  He loves it, at first he had to fight with the cat over it (Caesar wanted to eat the string and didn’t care if Cavan was holding it or not) but the cat lost interest.  Because the Trader Joe’s balloons are biodegradable, the helium leaks out after a day.  That hasn’t stopped Cavan from playing with his balloon though, as I write this he is dragging it along behind him squealing and laughing with glee.  The boy is weird, no doubt about it!

Cavan also learned to jump on the couch.  He was playing on it the other day and he decided to stand up, which he decided was hilarious so he started jumping up and down.  It’s all been downhill from that point, and I’m going to have a heart attack.  Also added to his repertoire of behaviors is the “angry squeal.”  Whenever he gets frustrated or mad he has started making a “Agh!” sound.  I guess it’s better than a tantrum or crying…

Walking is now is preferred method of locomotion, followed closely by running.  He’s a pro at walking, but the running could use some practice.  Cavan’s favorite game is “I’m gonna get you” with Daddy.  He also likes to bite my toes when I try to work on the computer.

In other news, I’ve been looking for work.  I’m working on getting my resume put together and sent to a job that I’d really love to get.  Of course, if I’d love to get it that means 500 million other people are also applying for it, so we’ll see.  I just need to brush up my resume enough to convey my sheer awesomeness to potential employers.  I think Cavan would enjoy a daycare at this point, it would be playtime for him with other kids.  He rarely sees other kids and when he does he gets very excited, I feel bad for the poor boy!  We do go to playgroups, but it’s hit and miss whether or not we’ll find one close to where we are, and with me being sick I haven’t taken him to one in a little over a month.

The weather here is crazy.  Yesterday it was 60 and raining, today it’s 20 and sunny.  We’re all ready for warmer weather so we can get out and enjoy the city.  I’m especially ready for the winter blahs to move along, and they can take this cough with them.

Our little boy is now officially 1 year old! For his birthday I made him a dinosaur cake, of which he got to have the whole head to destroy. At first he was very tidy about it, he poked the dino in the eye and was using his pointer finger to draw in the frosting, but then Daddy put Cavan’s hand in the frosting and Cavan tasted it. It was all downhill from there! (Remember you can click the images to see them larger, just click them again to shrink them back down.)

In anticipation of the fun to come, Cavan lets out a maniacal laugh. Yes, he’s weird… must have got that from Daddy…

Mommy’s masterpiece, the dinosaur cake!

Opening his first present…

“How interesting…”

“Don’t take it away Mommy! …wait… what’s this?”

Trying to figure out how to open this one…

“This one is pretty cool!”

“Wanna see Daddy?!”

Cavan inspects the dino’s head, and pokes it in the eye.

“Maybe I’ll just give this a little taste.”

“Hey Mommy, this isn’t bad!”

“Yep, it’s pretty good!”

Cake makes Cavan happy, who’da thunk it?

“If I cover all my fingers in frosting, I can increase the time quotient thus producing maximum tasteability.”

“Of course, if I cover my palm as well I would be increasing the surface area and maximizing tasteability even more!”

“Muhahaha! I am a frosting-covered genius!”

“Of course, I didn’t account for the friction which is increased by the porous nature of the actual cake…”

“Eh, who cares? I’m done with this! I shall systematically plop chunks to the floor until Mommy goes under me to sweep up, then I shall plop them on her head! I can’t believe the woman falls for it every time…”

And this is why the dinosaurs became extinct…

Cavan is still not a pro at opening presents, but I think that will come soon. He’s quite happy to have new toys to play with and says “Thank You” to everyone!

Saturday was a beautiful day here, it got to 60 degrees so we were out all day. We walked down to Lincoln Park and then to the lakefront and Cavan had his nap while we sat and watched the water and all the people out enjoying the trail. Then we went to the Conservatory and looked at all the plants, then on to the Lincoln Park Zoo to look at all the animals and have some lunch. After the zoo Cavan had a doctor’s appointment (what a way to ruin a day!), but after his appointment he was fine and we walked around quite a bit more before wandering back home. When we got home Abby (the concierge and one of Cavan’s favorite people) told us that Cavan’s friend Theresa was having a party upstairs and wanted him to join in, so we went upstairs and Cavan played with a bunch of little kids for about an hour before we came back downstairs and he fell asleep.

Cavan’s 1 year check up went well, he had some pokes but handled them well. He got his TB skin test (they use a needle to inject something under his skin and we watch to see if it reacts over the next 48 hours), he didn’t make a peep for that one, then he had a hemoglobin and lead test where they used a lancet to poke his finger to get some blood, again he didn’t make a peep. He also got 2 vaccines, a booster shot and the chicken pox vaccine. The shots got some short screaming and crying, but as soon as they were over and I picked him up he was all better and we continued on to have a nice day.

Cavan is now 31.25 inches tall and 25 pounds, that puts him at about the 90th percentile for both, which means he’s a big boy, but isn’t out of proportion. We also got another ASQ form to fill out for his 1 year milestones. The nurse went over a couple of things with us and said he’s doing really well even though he isn’t talking yet so we don’t need to worry about his development at all, and for sure we don’t need to worry about his motor development because he’s walking like a pro (which the nurse didn’t expect when he nearly ran over to her), he’s also stooping to pick things up, clapping and playing made-up games which he thinks are hilarious, and he hands us toys when we ask for them. Cavan also likes to hug his stuffed animals and us, which is super-cute, and he helps Mommy get him dressed. Our little boy sure has come a long way over the last year!

The nurse also confirmed that he is, in fact, teething his molars. The top ones are very near breaking through, and the bottom ones can be seen under the gums. This explains why he has had his hand shoved into his mouth for the last couple weeks. We’re very lucky that the teething hasn’t put him into a bad mood since the molars are usually very difficult and painful for toddlers.