Caden was the sweetest, most content baby. I never had any problems with him, other than the fact that he didn't sleep. He would sleep maybe 8 hours throughout the entire day! 30 min naps and maybe 2 hours at a time during the night. I enjoyed him so much and couldn't believe how blessed I was!
At 4 months old, Caden had surgery on both of his feet/ankles. He had surgery on each foot a week a part. It was very hard seeing my baby in such pain and not being able to understand what was going on. It's actually making me tear up right now thinking about it! Caden rebounded very quickly and in fact the 2nd surgery (on the 2nd foot) was much easier! They put a permanent set of casts on Caden, they were blue, the bent at the knee and went up almost to the top of his thighs. He had those for 4 weeks, and then we went and got a new set. The 2nd permanent set was green. They also removed pins that were in his feet before putting the 2nd set on. Caden was starting to try and move around by this time and had the "army crawl" down! The casts did not slow him down! Finally when he was 8 months old, he was cast free! He would need to wear a set of special shoes with braces on them until he started walking. These shoes did not stay on his feet and ultimately, he did not wear them. Caden began walking at 16 months old and was able to walk just fine. Soon he was able to run and jump and everything else!
When Caden was 4, I decided his feet needed some more attention. I took him this time to Shriner's Orthopedic Hospital in Houston. This is one of the top hospitals in the world for kids with orthopedic issues. The surgeon said that Caden would need another surgery. Caden started kindergarten that year and in December, he had his 2nd surgery. This time, it was much more difficult because he actually knew what he was missing out on! But, once again my kid was a trooper! Caden never once complained or whined. He kept his happy disposition and even the staff at the hospital just loved him! The set of casts Caden had this time were again up to his mid thigh and bent at the knee. He was not able to put any pressure on his feet, so he was in a wheel chair for 7 weeks. He was able to go to school and actually became kind of a celebrity.
So, lets talk about Caden in school a bit. Caden was born at the end of July, so I considered holding him back a year since he would be the youngest in his class. When he was in pre-k and I mentioned to his teacher, she told me that would be a mistake. She said he would be reading before he started kindergarten and that he was very advanced. In kindergarten, he soared through and was tested for the gifted and talented program. He made it in easily. He was in the GT program throughout all of elementary and tested off the charts on everything. School was always easy to him and he enjoyed it. He has always loved learning and always wanted to know everything about everything. One day, on the way home from church (about 5 minutes), he memorized the books of the Bible. I think he was 6 or 7.
After his 7 weeks in a wheelchair, Caden got another set of casts. Walking casts with little shoes to go over them. It took him a while to learn to walk in the casts, but once he got it, he was walking and running everywhere. He those for another 7 weeks, then he got a pair of braces that he could wear inside his shoes. Those braces went up to his knees. After wearing those for about 6 months, he got a pair of braces that were just for his feet and were inside his shoes. You could not see them if he had his shoes on. Caden goes back to Shriner's once a year for check ups and everytime the dr says his feet look great. You can see the scars on his feet and ankles and you can tell his feet aren't "normal". He is also very flat footed. But, he can run, jump, ride a bike and actually plays some very serious baseball.
Caden started playing Upward basketball when he was 6. But, I always thought he should try baseball. So, when he was 7, we were able to bribe him and talk him into playing. He immediately loved it! He had a lot of ground to make up that first year because most of the kids had already played 2 years of t ball. The first season he played was machine pitch. He learned a lot and won most improved player at the end of the season. The summer after that first season, I put him in private lessons and by the next spring season, he was one of the top players on his team. He has played every spring and fall since. He still takes private lessons and is an awesome player. He has hit two monster home runs out of the park, he is the best 1st baseman I have seen (at his age) and is a fantastic pitcher. Baseball is his life and he is a leader on his team. His teammates look up to him and try to learn from him. He wants to be able to play in high school, college and pro. I believe he can do whatever he wants and puts his mind to. He definitely has the skill, his heart is what I worry about. He has a heart for baseball, but he also has a very sensitive heart and sometimes I wonder if he can handle the disappointments and "downs" of the sport. Sometimes, I KNOW I can't handle it! It's tough on a mama!
When Caden was 8 (actually 2 days before my 1st date with Josh), we had a terrifying event. In the mornings, before school started, while I was getting ready, I would let Caden ride his bike. He could not go any father than 2 houses either way. There was an elementary school right down the road and a bunch of kids riding their bikes to school. On November 5, 2008, there was a knock on my door. When I answered it, Caden's teacher (who lived a couple of houses down) was standing there frantic and screamed that Caden had been hit. I ran outside (no shoes on, with a towel on my wet hair). I could hear him screaming. He was laying half on the road, half on the curb about 2 houses down. His bike was mangled and he and the street were covered in blood. He had been hit by a car. Without going into a lot of detail (mainly because I don't want to cry again), it looked really bad. He was hysterical, but breathing and screaming. We were taken by ambulance to the hospital. He had numerous abrasions on his face, head, torso, legs and arms. He had a terrible road rash on his side. His mouth was bleeding and there was blood caked in his hair. Luckily, his worst injury was a broken wrist. Most of wounds cleared up and he has scars on his head. Thankfully, he doesn't remember what happened. There was a friendly suit with the insurance of the lady that hit him and he ended up getting a small trust fund set up. I believe to this day that there was an angel with him that morning. I can't understand with my own mind how he was not hurt more. Only God knows that!
Cadens dad and I split up when Caden was 2. Caden spent most of his life with a father. My dad and my brothers were all very close with Caden and provided him with most of the male influence that he needed, but he needed something more. When Josh and I got married, Caden finally had the dad that he needed. Josh began coaching Caden's baseball team and spending lots of time with him riding dirt bikes, and playing golf and many other things.
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