Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Caleb's First Pumpkin

Look Mom, my very own pumpkin!


I want to eat it all!



"Oh, my beautiful orange PUUUUMPKIIIIIIIIN.....I love you SOOOOOOOO!!!"


Beautiful face...and drool.


Hi, Daddy. Do you see my great pumpkin?


Does everyone notice my pumpkin?

Yes, it was a good time had by all. Caleb was thrilled to beat on his pumpkin in the grocery store, and the enchantment didn't wear off when we got home.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

I've got my new shoes on....

With the rain and cooler weather this past week, it's felt just a little more like fall lately, and I've finally pulled out the shoes for my little boy. He hasn't consistently worn shoes since he was a newborn in winter. All summer he's been our barefoot Arkansas boy!

Here are some little Nikes from a friend. How impractical are these? But so cute!


Then today I pulled out some shoes I bought several months ago. These are soft-soled and more lightweight than the Nikes.
Caleb got his second haircut last night, and I think he looks so sweet in this picture. Makes my heart melt!

The other week Caleb was a little under the weather, so he contented himself with sitting on his tractor and sorting our recycling. Quit the job, that.



Today he has a fever again. We had gone to the dr. on Friday for his cough, but he didn't have a fever then, so he came home with a prescription for cough medicine and that's it.Not sure what is going on, but he doesn't seem too uncomfortable, so I'm not worried about it. Colds are going around lately (hooray, Fall), so it seems inevitable.

He's started saying "mama" and "dada" pretty consistently this week, and his fifth tooth came in! He tried Mexican food for the first time today--ate beans, rice, taco meat and queso! No complaints! He's our son indeed!

We brought out new toys for Caleb this week as well, and he's enjoying all the new activities--mostly things that encourage him to stand. I need to find a walking toy for him, though, because he's pushing his things around, and I think he would enjoy it. One of the activity tables has a telephone, and he's already mimicking me by putting it to his ear and talking! He loves when I talk into it and say, "Caleb, it's for you!"

He also handed me something for the first time this week. Babies usually hold things out: "Behold...my treasure that I found." But don't try to take it from them. Not a good idea. However, last night during Caleb's bath, I was pouring water out over his hands. I eventually stopped and put the bucket back in the water. He picked the bucket up and handed it to me to keep playing! I don't know what you think about that, but that classifies him as a genius in my world. I'm sure you agree.

One more note: Caleb has been pure Mama's Boy lately, always wanting me at the end of the day when Daddy wants to give his son one last cuddle for the night. I've felt a little bad about it, though I know it's just a phase. Well, that phase may be coming to an end. Yesterday Caleb hit his head on the nightstand, and his first reaction was to cling to his Daddy! Jon tried to pull back to examine the wound (hardly noticeable, by the way), but Caleb would have none of it. "Hold me, Daddy!" Then Jon watched Caleb for several hours both Saturday and today, and he and Caleb had a grand time. I think it was good for both of them, and for me too!

Monday, September 14, 2009

9 1/2 Month Update

Caleb is now 9 1/2 months old. I can't believe how quickly the time is flying! He had his 9-month checkup a couple of weeks ago, and here is what we learned:

Weight: 18 lbs 7 oz (25th percentile)
Height: 29in (75th to 90th percentile)

No shots this time, but an iron test to make sure Caleb has enough iron. He does, so that means that if/when he weans, he can go straight to Vitamin D cow's milk instead of needing formula! That's great news because formula is very expensive, there are lots of brands to try and figure out which one would work, etc. It would just be a hassle, and I'd actually figured I'd keep pumping through to the end of Caleb's first year, when traditionally he could move to normal milk. I was dreading that, so I'm glad to find out he can move to cow's milk when he's ready. He is still nursing, but it really is becoming more like snack time between his solid food meals. I asked about snacks, and the doctor said that Caleb's nursing would serve that purpose, and it seems to have without me doing anything. He generally nurses well in the morning and at night, but the other feedings are quick as Caleb wants to move on to doing something else. He nurses about every 4 hours during the day, so about 4 times a day.

Sleeping: Caleb had gotten into the habit of waking up once every night. It started when he was teething and the habit was solidified during the month of July when we spent so many nights in the same room together, and we would pick him up and try to get him back to sleep so as not to disturb anyone else. The doctor wasn't too happy about that, and suggested we just let him cry it out one night and break the habit. So that's what we did! That night we listened to Caleb on the monitor for an hour and a half, crying his little eyes out. I did go and check on him once, and finally he fell asleep. And it does seem to have broken the habit! He's only woken up in the night a couple of times since then! Hooray! He gets to sleep between 7:30 and 8:00 and then wakes up between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning. He takes two naps during the day, usually 4 hours apart.

Eating:
Caleb is officially on 100% table food! I think it's kind of early for it, but he seems ready, and it just kind of happened that way. He opens his mouth for pretty much anything we offer, and he'll also feed himself with bite-sized pieces we give him. He's had roast and veggies, scalloped potatoes, grilled chicken, chicken pot pie.... It has certainly caused me to cook healthier! On nights when we make pizza or something like that, I just heat up some cooked chicken and green beans that I keep in the freezer.

Developmental Markers: Caleb claps and he started waving on the 15th of August. He likes to wave! He also loves to talk. He's fascinated by doors. He opens and closes his door and our bedroom door. They're so big and swing so wide that he has to crawl to the door, swing it open, crawl to where it swung, swing it back....it's a workout, but he does it tirelessly. He also likes the doors on the front of our entertainment center. He enjoys pulling the DVDs down into a pile. He's got the pincer grasp down, using his tiny thumb and forefinger to pick up all kinds of things; I fish things out of his mouth several times a day lately! He's also figured out object permanence: he knows there's a toy underneath his blanket now, and he's pretty proud when he reveals it.

Our little guy is lightning on his hands and knees. I sit him down in the living room to play while I do something in the kitchen, but he's in the kitchen almost as fast as I am! He's very comfortable in the house, and goes exploring even in places where we are not. He will follow our voice and will generally come when asked, though maybe because we're smiling and clapping more than because we've asked him to come.

Caleb understands the word "no" and usually obeys it. We praise him when he does, because we know that soon he will realize he can refuse!

He has maintained his reputation of being a laid-back boy. It was questionable for a few days while teething, but undeniable as we house-hunted. He missed his morning nap, we pulled him in and out of the car several times, it was hot, he wasn't allowed down on the floor, and to top it off he had a cold that turned into a sinus infection. But, give him a sippy cup of water and a toy and he's a happy camper. We also got to help out with some friends who had a baby recently, and Caleb was very good sitting in the hospital with us. We mentioned to the doctor about how easy-going Caleb is, and suggested that perhaps something was wrong (because what is a parent if not always finding something to worry about?). The doctor said he was fine, and it just meant we'd be hit with a jolt of reality with the terrible twos come! So, I guess we'll enjoy our easy baby while we have him.

To be certain, he is not always easy, and he's definitely very opinionated about things, and usually has a bout of screaming once a day or so, whether it's because he wants to roll on the changing table or because I'm sucking ew from his nose or maybe because he just didn't want a shirt on. So it happens, but it's rare and short-lived, and for that I am thankful.

I often use Ian's development as a marker for what I'm supposed to look for with Caleb. What Ian was like at 9 months is very clear to me, because that was when he came to the hospital to visit when Caleb was born. There had been one thing I'd been looking for that I remember distinctly: playing peek-a-boo. And lo and behold, while we were visiting Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, it happened!

Sunday, September 06, 2009

The Great Paper Caper

The day started like any other day, only for whatever reason (I forget now), I could not wait for Caleb's naptime to take a shower.* He's too big now for his bouncy seat, so I drug his exersaucer into the bathroom so I could keep an eye on him. (He's almost too big for that, too, but it works in a pinch.) Once I was in the shower, Caleb started complaining. He wasn't too happy that he couldn't see me and he was stuck in his exersaucer. I started singing to him, talking, anything I could to keep him entertained. He finally quieted down. It wasn't until I got out that I realized why....

*My camera data tells me I took these pictures on Sunday, August 16, so I'm guessing I was getting ready for church. Usually Jon plays with Caleb while I'm in the shower on Sundays, but that must have been when he was working a week of nights, and he was trying to catch up on sleep before church.

Friday, September 04, 2009

Feeding the ducks...and Caleb!


Caleb and I went to the park the other day to feed the ducks and geese. Caleb was very interested in the geese and their honking. He stared at them a long time. The ducks were not as interesting, or as interested in eating bread.


But we still had fun, and I got shots of Caleb's four teeth!

That's right! FOUR. He went from one to four in about a week. He's got his two top and two bottom teeth to match. And he's got two more coming in! I've tried to start giving him food with a little more substance to them: bits of chicken, ground beef, graham crackers, crunchy Gerber snacks, chopped up broccoli, cheese.... He seems to be doing well with it. He didn't seem to like banana bits, but those are kind of slippery and hard to handle, so maybe that's why.

We basically moved to complete table food on our trip to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's house. Great Grandma had such yummy (and healthy) food, that it was easy to give Caleb a few bites, and--just like I remember as a kid--he ate more at Grandma's than he's ever eaten at home! Everything just tastes better there!

Here are more pics from the trip to the park:


Ooh...button....




Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Pulling up!

Caleb pulled up in his crib for the first time the other day. He'd pulled up on many things before--his daddy, the couch, the dining room chairs, the desk chairs--but never in his crib. He was in a particular fit of crying because he did not want to take a nap. Then I came in with a camera and called Jon in, and darn it all, that boy turned from tears to beaming smiles when he realized what a thing he'd accomplished amidst his tirade against naps.

He loves to be up, but hasn't started "cruising" quite yet. Cruising, I've learned, is when a baby can move around the room hanging on to stuff. Caleb still drops back down to crawl, then pulls back up at his new spot. Though today he did move from the chair to his play table, so maybe it's starting!