The March for Babies 2013

Today was the second time we participated in the March of Dimes annual fundraiser, the March for Babies.  It was a gloriously beautiful day for our three mile walk, and we were so lucky to have seven adults, six under-three-year-olds, and one doggy named Daisy on our team this year.

Team Cayden Ferguson 2013 - Alecia, Bridget, Sarah, Laura, Carter, Robin, Jason, Christa,
Jonah in the snugglie and Gage, Sophie, Cayden, and Jamison in the strollers

 
Especially special was the fact that Jason was home this year and was able to join us.  We brought both boys and the stroller, but Cayden ended up walking about half of the course! His favorite part was giving high fives to the line of about a dozen volunteers who stood cheering along the side of the course.  Oh, and eating hot dogs and chips at the end of the walk, of course.  Always about the food!

Marching with Daddy

  

We took quite awhile to finish and straggled in after more than an hour of walking, but we managed to get some food and caught a glimpse of the story board I submitted that was hung in the family teams pavilion.  We missed out on the balloon artist and face painting, but the kids were happy nonetheless.

Partial team photo at the start/finish line

Cayden's story board

Thanks to contributions from so many friends and family members, I was able to reach my personal fundraising goal.  We fell slightly short of our team fundraising goal, but I still think we did very well overall, and I'm happy to say we were able to raise over $1600 for the March of Dimes!

 

Our team shirts said "Team Cayden Ferguson".
Cayden's shirt said "I am Cayden Ferguson!",
and Cayden says thank you to everyone who donated.

 

In other news, just after we got home from the March, Cayden said he wanted to go potty on the big potty - and he pooped on the potty!!  He loves sitting on the big potty with the Winnie the Pooh insert, or on the Elmo potty, or the other little potty we have for the boys.  Jason and I haven't really been pushing him to wear underwear or to go on the potty after the experience we've had with Jamison, but I think Cayden may be ready to be fully potty trained!  Amazing!

 

I don't think I ever mentioned the parent and tot gymnastics classes I took both boys to a few months ago.  It was once a week for four weeks, and it all happened during a time when Jason was out of town.  When I signed up for the class, they assured me I should be able to do it with only one parent and two tots.  Ha.  It was pure craziness!  It seemed to be 45 minutes of one or both of the boys either trying to run around the room and not listening to the instructor, not participating with the group, trying to run out the door and down the hall, or throwing a screaming, crying tantrum in the class.  There were a few moments where they had fun - when group time was over and they were allowed to run free around the room and do whatever obstacles they wanted.  They swung from bars, did back bends and somersaults, played with a nylon parachute and lots of colored balls, rolled down inclined mats, jumped on a mini trampoline, and generally burned a lot of energy.  After those first four weeks, I couldn't get them into the next class, but we found an open gym hour at a different recreation center nearby.  Jason and I took both boys to that open gym several times over the past few months he's been home and they've really enjoyed it.  We're starting another four week session of the parent and tot gymnastics class in May, and I hope it goes better than the last time!

 

Bouncing from one activity to another during open gymnastics time

 

 

We also finally signed the boys up for swimming lessons again.  Cayden will be in a 30-minute parent and me class once a week, four times a month, for as long as we want to keep going.  Jamison will be in a class on his own immediately after Cayden's class, so hopefully we'll get them swimming like fish soon.  We bought them some goggles to get them excited (like Cayden needs anything to get him more excited about going to the "simming poo!"), and they've been loving wearing them in the bathtub.

 

We finally found out that Jason will be leaving again, and soon.  This time, he'll be heading to Nigeria for two months, departing on April 30th.  We know the boys are going to miss him terribly since he's been home for so long this time, so we've been trying to prepare them.  Cayden has gotten really attached to his Daddy and does not like to divert from the routine.  If I take the boys somewhere without Jason, Cayden will scream and cry in the van the entire time, "DADDY!!  I want Daddy!!"  If Jason tries to sit in a different seat from his usual one when we are at the dinner table, Cayden gets really upset and says, "No!  Mommy's chair, Daddy!"  and refuses to eat until Jason sits in "his" chair.  I'm afraid what this giant change in his routine is going to do to him.  He's been behaving pretty well lately, and I think it's because he's getting lots of time with and attention from both of his parents.  It's going to be a long 60 days while Jason is gone!

 

 

 

 

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