Houston, we have a problem

He may not be able to crawl yet, but that's not stopping him!

It's officially time for us to child-proof the house. I've plugged up all the outlets. The drawers are next!

Where is my happy child?

Caleb is a very laid back kid. Jon and I even sometimes worry that he has that rare condition where he can't feel anything. I've clipped him with nail clippers, bonked him on the head, smushed sunglasses too tight on his face, put him in water that was too hot, .... (I know, and he's only 7 months old, right? Pretty impressive list.) Through all these things, he hasn't made a sound. Of course, there are the other times to encourage us: the shots, the head bump on the coffee table, the scratch from the cat. However, we could convince ourselves that these might have been cries of surprise rather than pain. Well, our fears have been abated.

Caleb is teething.

For the first time since Caleb's been in the church nursery, I have been paged because he was crying in the Sunday morning service. And the Sunday evening service. And Wednesday night prayer meeting.

On Tuesday night, Caleb woke up every two hours. He hasn't done that since he was 4 weeks old! On Wednesday night, he woke up at 11:30pm and I'm pretty sure didn't get back to sleep until about 3:45am. That was after two extra feedings and finally being tucked snugly between Jon and I in our bed.

He's got teething tablets and Tylenol, plus a trusty teether that he really seems to take to (except at night). Despite these things, our happy-go-lucky little boy has gotten a little on edge. I spent much of the day today cuddling and playing with him; even a 3-foot distance to the computer chair was too far. Thankfully I was hanging out with Leanna who was happy to keep Mr. C entertained! Ryker was pretty willing, too!

A fact that is a little daunting to me is that this is his FIRST tooth. Jon and I had a discussion with Caleb about considering getting them all in right now...preferably before we go to bed tonight...and just get it over with. I don't think he was paying attention, but I'm crossing my fingers that he at least gets a little more sleep tonight--for all our sakes!

Has anyone seen my toothless, laid-back kid??

The Big Boy Seat

Today we upgraded Caleb to a big boy car seat! Caleb has outgrown his first carseat--in height, certainly not weight! Babies R Us will let you take the carseats out to your car to try them out. Thankfully, we found one that didn't cramp us any more than the first seat, and it was on sale! It's a 3-in-1 convertible seat. It starts rear-facing, then turns around, then some of the cushions come off to turn into a booster. Supposedly it'll grow with Caleb all the way until he's ready for just a seatbelt...which I've heard lately the law is requiring kids to be 8 years old? Anyone else heard that?

Past Three Weeks

Caleb's development is going so quickly these days! He's added sweet potatoes and apples to his menu, he's enjoying his play blanket all day long, and I think he's going to bust out crawling one of these days! The video is a little rough, but I figured it was better than nothing!

If, for some reason, you would like to see more of a certain clip, I probably have more, so just let me know in the comments.

Six Months!

Yikes, I can't believe it's already been six months. Sometimes I look at Caleb and see a cute baby, sometimes I see a little boy, but it's been a long while since I've seen that helpless little newborn. This little man is blowing and going, accomplishing new things and not even realizing it.

Last Friday we went to his 6-month appointment. Here are his measurements:
Weight: 16lb 2 oz (25 percentile)
Height: 28.75 in (95 percentile)

So you see we have a long thin little guy. He's kept these same percentages since birth, so the doctor isn't worried.

She encouraged me to start on Stage 2 foods (we hadn't even made it through Stage 1, though!) and continue feeding him solids twice a day. Make sure he gets at least 24 oz. of milk (3-4 feedings), and we'll move him to solids three times a day at 9 months.

He's ready to wear sunscreen, and the dr. recommended no less than spf 50 (I've heard it doesn't matter after about 35 or so....anyone else heard that?). She also said that stinging eyes is inevitable because kids rub their eyes with their arms. However I picked up a No Tears spray sunscreen, spf 50, and so far no eye issues.

Developmentally, Caleb is doing everything he's supposed to be doing: trying to sit bracing himself with his arms like a tripod, looking back for assurance from mom, holding his head up well, and grasping. He passed with flying colors, and he didn't cry very much after his shots! All in all a good visit.

He is getting more and more mobile as the days go by. He manages to scoot all over the floor, mostly by laying on his tummy and bending to the side at the waist. But occasionally he gets his rear up in the air and I think he's just going to start crawling. I know it will take more than that, but I don't think it's too far away. He loves to explor the bottom shelf of the coffee table. I've moved everything out of arms reach from him, but he still likes to slap the shelf, and he can barely get his fingers on a photo album covered in taffeta; he likes to scratch on it with his fingernails. He really likes textures, and will scratch the ribbed fabric of the rocker, the brocade of the couch, etc. He likes to squish the cats' fur between his fingers.

I think he's developing a good sense of humor. He smiles and laughs when we tickle him or touch his nose or swing him around...or when his daddy or I sing. He obviously has a good ear, as well. He rarely fusses and can generally be distracted back into happiness. He's trying to move to two naps, but ends up getting a third later in the day. (Though today it's just 2:00 and he's already on his third, just to show you that every day is different!)

The picture at the top is Caleb's second trip to the Botanic Gardens, and our first as a family. We strolled through and stopped by the pond to feed him his dinner. Sitting on Daddy's shoulders always makes Caleb smile...and us, too! We love our little boy very much, if you can't tell. :) What a privilege to be a parent!