Paden's First Balloon

Paden's First Race

He's Walking.....

Well, as you have noticed, I haven't kept up as well as I had hoped on the blog updates. Paden is nearly eleven months old now and took his first steps on St. Patrick's Day! He is amazing to us and we are consistently refreshed by his smiles and antics. Here is a video to enjoy him as we do each day. It is about 13 minutes long.

Love and Peace,

Nicole

Our Superstar

Now performing in a country near you, our little superstar Paden...

Oh yeah, just a reminder - he's 4.5 months old.

Time Flies!

Wow, we are amazed that we have a three month old baby! Paden is growing consistently and quickly and has passed 14 lbs already. A big boy for saying he came from Forrest and me. Seems like all the little boys we meet are very sturdy and thick, whereas the little girls are just hollow and light - a very nice change when I get to hold one!





Since we wrote last, we went to Idaho to see the majority of relatives. Paden went swimming for the first time and was a brave little soul - not one tear despite an intentional complete dunk. We had his aunt Dani and uncle Neal (both nurses) as well as Dr. Dad on standby for any incidents - but their services were not needed as Paden is a natural in the water.




We spent a lot of time with both sets of grandparents along with aunt Kristin and cousin Alexis (who had already visited us and met Paden). Paden met his Great-Grandma Leydet, Great aunts Jan and Joanne, aunt Dani and uncle Neal, and cousins Liam, Henry, Laura, Brooke, Elise, and Emily for the first time. He loved every minute of it! We picnicked on the Snake River with Nicole's family, caught a lot of sun and warmth, watched Forrest play in a tennis tournament, and took lots of great walks with Grandma.




















On the way back to Port Townsend, we spent Forrest's 33rd birthday with aunt Kristin and uncle Nome in Portland. Forrest's birthday was overshadowed by a memorable yet disappointing final match at Wimbledon in which his idol Roger Federer was overturned by Rafael Nadal in the longest men's Wimbledon final ever (nearly 5 hours of play plus another 2 hours of rain delays!)




We headed back to Port Townsend to settle in for the summer. Moving into a small studio just a few blocks from our clinic. We are working at the clinic on Fridays and trying to take in all the special moments with Paden. Just this past Friday, I laid Paden down for a nap at the clinic and when I heard him wake later, I went in to find he had rolled from his back to his stomach for the first time! I'm sure he didn't mean to be so sneaky, but come on - one day out of seven that I work and he has to choose that day for new tricks? It was also a Friday that he offered his first laugh - to my friend Julie. Much to my disappointment that I couldn't coax the first one. That was on his 2 month birthday July 11th as Julie will remember for the rest of her life. What caused the laugh is something I will never forget - Julie's commentary on Paden's private parts and the word "anteater" being repeated several times.




Settling back in to life in Port Townsend has been so easy. Such a great group of people here and Paden must feel like the center of the universe with all the love he gets everyday, everywhere we go. Today we came down to Portland again to see Kristin and Nome as well as Grandma and Papa who are up from Idaho. Paden will be three months old tomorrow and each day is truly a gift. We had so many reservations about becoming parents and they have receded to faint recollections now that we are in the midst of our new lives. We are in love and happy. Check back in a few weeks and we should have details of our next trip - Panama here we come!


Much Love,
Nicole, Forrest, and Baby Paden

One Month Old!

It has been such a special treat to introduce Paden to so many people at such a young age. His presence seems to brighten everyone's day and makes us realize what a unique time this is when people consistently comment on how long it has been since they saw such a young newborn. But here we are and Paden is already one month old. It is sad to announce his age in months rather than days - the time is flying by.

Forrest and I have always stated our preference for toddlers and older children above babies. We love the more interactive and curious nature and look forward to this time with Paden. In the meantime, we are loving him for his helpless little self. I think we have found this phase to be more enjoyable than we expected - as everyone has said "it's different when it's your own." Paden sleeps a lot and we can tell he is expending an incredible amount of energy just by growing his little body. Bath-time, which used to be a nightmare for both Paden and myself has become a happy occasion (thank God!).

We spent an afternoon at "Nana Val's" house to visit Val and Scott. Val has been instrumental in maintaining Paden's great personality and his health and vitality. She is a cranial-sacral therapist, and after such a long and intense labor, Paden was suffering with nightmares. Val came up to Victoria when Paden was only 3 days old to work on him (and me) and restore some of his organs and bones to their proper stations. This type of work also provides an emotional release for past traumatic events. He does amazingly well after treatments and is surely letting go of some unfortunate stresses early in his life.

We just finished a fantastic weekend with Forrest's immediate family, his parents visiting from Idaho and his sister and her husband from Portland. Papa Dale finally got Paden to take a pacifier with a little coaxing and Paden spent many comfortable hours in Grandma Barb's arms.

We have been asked many times about the origin of Paden's name. It comes from the 1985 movie "Silverado" and is the name of Kevin Kline's honorable character. We wanted a name that was unique, but not too unusual. We looked up meanings after we had chosen the name and found that Paden has roots in Old English ("path hill" and "fighting-man's estate") as well as Scottish ("royal"). But really it is just a cool name and we think it is perfect for Paden! FYI - "Silverado" is a fantastic movie if you haven't seen it. As an interesting side note, the morning we decided Paden's name was also the day we checked out of the hospital. When we turned on the television that evening to unwind, "Silverado" was playing!

After Paden was born, Forrest immediately got what he referred to as "Breast Envy". The ability of the mother to soothe baby with immediate and consistent results using her breastmilk. He remedied the situation by creating his own method of soothing that has been nearly as successful as the breast, at least for short periods. Watch this video!

Hoping that summer finds its way here soon! Love and Peace to you all and thanks for checking in on us!

Nicole, Forrest, and Paden

2 weeks into parenthood

Paden has surpassed his two week birthday and Forrest and I have survived thus far. I think we are pleasantly surprised at how we have eased into it, yet always cautious that the "easiness" may end at any moment. He continues to be a good eater, a good sleeper, and all around a joy for us to know.

I have taken to affectionately calling Paden "the little pisser" as he frequently catches Forrest off guard during diaper changes. I too have had my share - while at a nice Sunday brunch yesterday, Paden managed to pee all over my skirt and then proceeded to spit up down my shirt.

Here is a quick rundown of what we have been up to:

When Paden was six days old, we rested in Sax Pointe Park in Victoria, BC and watched the cruise ships come and go.

At nine days old we packed up and made the trip back to Port Townsend. Paden's first international travel - we didn't even have his birth certificate yet - just paperwork from the hospital for our little Canadian. Apparently, his baby blues did the trick on the homeland security agents and we were able to cross without issue.

Oh sweet sleep....you are precious to us.

On day thirteen, Forrest, Paden, and I went to the farmer's market and then Paden and I laid in the sun and watched Forrest play tennis for the first time in months!

On day fourteen we took a beautiful walk down to the beach at Fort Worden. We are house-sitting right across the street from the Fort which is a fantastic location for recreation. Paden and I met up with our best friends in PT - Pete and Jocelyn Davis. The Davis's have new grandbabies as well, including a little boy born just a week after Paden. We expect they will be fast friends in the future.