Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!!

Today is my baby's birthday.  

Oh my he has blessed our life more than I can imagine.  

I know everyone says it but its hard to imagine life without him.  

He is joyful, silly, sweet, playful, loving, and has my whole heart.  

At 12 months, Caleb is...

Size: Caleb is 23 1/2 pounds and looking as big as ever.  

He's wearing almost all 12-18 month clothing with a few 6-12 and 18 month clothes thrown in there.  

Likes: Caleb likes sports balls, balloons, and bubbles and usually says "baaa baa" when he sees them.

  He loves almost all people and loves to be out and about making friends with everyone around us.  

Its quite sweet.

Dislikes: The usual baby/toddler dislikes...not getting to do what he wants to do and doing what he doesn't want to do...that and whole milk which we tried for the first time this week.

Working on/Milestones: Caleb is starting to stand without holding onto something more often now.

  He lets go of the table or wall and stands there with a toy or just balancing by himself.  

A first step is on the horizon I think!  

He also got in the top 4 teeth this month.  

Sleeping: Caleb is sleeping through the night wonderfully these days and hasn't woken up in a while.

  He goes to bed around 7 and wakes up around 7.  

First nap about 9 and 2nd nap about 2.  

Some days he takes a while to fall asleep but I think that's only when his first nap went too late or too long.  

I just have to be more careful now and wake him up sometimes from his morning nap.

Eating: We dropped one feeding this week and then when I was unsure and tried to add it back, Caleb refused it.  

Well ok then.  

So we're down to morning, before pm nap, and night time for nursing.  

He eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a few snacks.  

He's a good eater but I can tell that his appetite is slowing down which I have read happens around this time.  

Happy birthday my sweet boy!!!!

Happy 11 months Caleb!

Oh my...not sure if I can believe that my baby boy is almost a year.  But just like I am still in my 20's at 29, Caleb is still NOT a year yet!  Today he is 11 months old.  He cracks me up daily and makes me smile all the time.  He is such a blessing to our lives.  

Size: Caleb is probably almost 23 pounds by now and is fitting well into 12 months and 12-18 months clothes.
He feels so long big to me.

Likes: Caleb loves to interact with anyone around him.  

He shakes his head at you for you to shake back, he tilts his head so you'll tilt yours, and he plays peek-a-boo with his pjs when I change his clothes in the morning.  

Precious.  

He loves to eat and has a wide variety of foods that he enjoys.

Eyes are still a hazel but are turning brown I think.

Dislikes: Hmmm this one is hard for me because he is pretty easy going.
I can say that he doesn't like the hand dryer in the bathroom at target.
That made his little lip quiver.

Working on/Milestones: This week, Caleb cut 3 top teeth and another one is about to poke through.
  This weekend, I could tell he wasn't quite himself as he would wake up early from naps screaming, didn't sleep through the night, and woke up really early.
I'm proud of him though - he's been tough.
Four teeth at once is rough!

You can just barely see those little chompers coming through.  

He is still cruising around furniture and tables and is getting faster at crawling.  

He stands for like one second at a time but isn't steady or  confident at all yet without holding onto something.  

It doesn't look like to me that he's close to walking, but I'm no expert!

Sleeping: Thankfully, this month has been a great sleep month.  

He has slept through the night (mostly) for the past 3 weeks or so and is taking great naps.  

He's consistently taking a morning nap and afternoon nap and they are usually at least an hour and sometimes an hour and half.  

He has started to give people things.  He holds out his hand with something and then lets go in your hand.  He also puts things in and out of boxes etc.  So fun.

I try to roughly follow the 2, 3, 4 pattern that I read about somewhere...first nap is 2 hours after he wakes up, second is 3 hours after he got up from the first nap and bedtime is 4 hours after that one.
He wakes up on average around 7am, first nap at 9am, second nap at 1:30ish and bedtime at 7:00pm.
  Its a nice pattern and I like the routine.

This is the face of a boy who didn't get what he wanted....

Eating: Caleb is a great eater.  

He loves solid food and is eating all finger foods.  

Rarely do I spoon feed him anything.  

He loves his veggies - broccoli, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, etc...and he loves his fruits including clementines, pears, grapes, and our new fruit this week, watermelon.  

He loves cheese, ground turkey, chicken, and tilapia.  

Right now, Caleb is still nursing 4 times a day and we'll continue that until a year.  

Then I'll start the weaning process of which I have very mixed emotions.  

I get so sentimental about endings of anything and they seem to always be in May.  

I'm going to just enjoy this last month of nursing and savor the sweet snuggles.

One more month and you are a year old baby boy!

Happy 10 months Caleb!

I am loving this age so much!  Caleb is a little copycat these days and I am often surprised at what he understands and can do.  

At 10 months, Caleb is...

Size: Caleb is around 22 pounds and wearing 6-12 month, 9 month, and now even 12-18 month clothes.  

Likes: Caleb has some definite likes lately.  

He loves balls, the cats, bubbles, and his mama and daddy.

When we read, he loves to turn the pages...a little too fast for actually reading.

He loves to play play play and doesn't ever stop!  

He loves to eat and loves to drink water out of his sippy cup.  

Dislikes: Caleb doesn't enjoy being put in his carseat when he's tired or hungry.  

I haven't really come across foods he doesn't like yet...he's pretty much eats everything and anything...even cat food.  He's started to show a little separation anxiety, crying when I leave the room if he's with someone else and he's (again) hungry or tired.  

Working on/Milestones: Caleb is doing great at pulling up and cruising and now has even stood for a few seconds without holding on.  

Up next...walking!!  

 He still has only 2 teeth but I think the top two are coming soon.  

No real words yet but he does say mamamamama and dadadada and something like "dat" when he sees anything he enjoys like the cats.  

And maybe even a "Baa" for ball.  But he also might say "Baa" when he sees food.  

Not really consistent yet. 

He carries the Dr. Seuss character in the picture all around the room while crawling and holding it in one hand.

Sleeping: Caleb is not sleeping amazingly lately.  

He slept through the night for a while and now he's been waking up a lot more.  

Maybe every other night.  

I try my hardest to not nurse him when he gets up but sometimes...like after 2 hours of rocking, crying, etc...I just have to.  

We only had one might like that lately but it wasn't fun.  

I'm not quite sure if its teething, digestion with new foods, or getting too tired.  

Eating: Caleb is now consistently nursing 4 times a day and eating 3 meals a day.  

For breakfast, he has bananas, eggs, toast, and maybe some yogurt.  

Lunch and dinner are chicken or ground turkey and a mixture of beans, cheese, vegetables, and fruits.

  He is a great eater and for now we're trying to stay away from anything sugary or too fatty as he doesn't even know it exists yet!  

Soon enough I'm sure he'll be requesting it.  

I can't believe we've only got 2 more months until he's a year old.

We love you sweetheart!

Nominated...

So Jen from Jen the Newlywed nominated me for the liebster award.
Yes I know, I know, you are jealous.

But for real, its fun to be nominated.  First, I'm supposed to share 11 facts about myself.  So here ya go...

1. My cat has thumbs.
2. I don't mind doing laundry.  I'd say its my chore of choice, followed by...yeah nothing.
3. My favorite color is turquoise.
4. I speak Spanish.
5. I have watched all seasons of Gilmore Girls all the way through at least 4 times.
6. I drink 2 cups of decaf coffee every morning with just milk and cream, no sugar.
7. I once started a calligraphy company and after 1 job decided it wasn't for me.
8. I'm currently watching Parenthood on Netflix.
9. Organization is one of my current goals.  Its a slow process.
10. Sometimes I cut my own bangs.
11. My favorite fruit is grapefruit and my baby boy loves it too!

And now she has asked me some questions and here are my answers...

1. Do you play a musical instrument? If not, what would you like to learn to play if given the chance?  In high school I played the piano, trumpet, and clarinet.  I really miss playing.  I would love to start playing again.

2. Where would you like to go on your next vacation?  In my dreamworld...Paris.  Or the Grand Canyon.

3. What physical attribute do you have that you wouldn't change?  My brown eyes.

4. What are your favorite movies from your childhood that you would like to share with your children?  Milo and Otis, Cinderella

5. What did your prom dress look like?  Periwinkle with sequins and beads.  It was slimming and spaghetti strap.  I loved it.

6. You're given a choice of a 2 week vacation in New York City, 2 weeks in Hawaii, or 2 weeks skiing in Colorado. What would you choose?  2 week vacation to New York City.  I would love to spend the days in the city and going to all the fun restaurants and shows.

7. Is there something about who you are today that would surprise the 12 year old version of yourself?  Hmmm.  That I've got a little boy!

8. If you could have a different first name, what would you choose?  Hmmm again.

9. What's an item on your to-do list that you keep putting off?  There are several...one is looking for a new internet company...ours is not so great.

10. When was the last time you laughed till you cried?  I can't remember the situation but I know it was recently.  

Thank you Jen for nominating me!!

Happy 9 months Caleb!

Today my baby is 9 months old.  

He is so sweet and his personality is coming out more and more daily.  

I'm loving my time at home with him and I'm looking forward to the next stage of doing some more focused learning activities.

At 9 months, Caleb is...

Size: Caleb weighs 21 pounds, 12 ounces meaning we're almost out of our infant car seat...the max is 22lbs!  We went today for his 9 month check-up to a new doctor and he is in the 70th percentile for weight and at 29.5 inches in the 85th percentile of height.  Caleb is wearing mostly 9 month and 6-12 month clothes.  A lot of the 6 month clothes are too small.  

"I'm excited!"

Also could be "All done!"

Or maybe his own version of waving.  

I'm doing some signing with him - all done, eat, please, cat, and more.  And he does use the all done sign at the end of his meal.  

Likes: Caleb loves eating, crawling, putting everything in his mouth, and pulling up on every possible surface, even his own little friends!  He loves the cats and laughs at them and "talks" to them when they walk into the room.  His favorite toys right now are any type of ball, big or small, and the real golf club Ben has given him.  

Dislikes: Not getting his way, not eating when he wants to eat, sitting in the bathtub.  He wants to pull up to standing or to his knees in the bathtub, but it just isn't safe.  I'm not quite sure how to convey to him the danger of it and he doesn't understand "no" yet, or at least he's not responding to it in this context.  So for now, we just end the bath after countless times of making him sit.  

Working on/Milestones: Caleb is pretty much a pro at pulling up now to any surface, wall, leg, table, chair, etc.  The pediatrician said today he looked like he was close to walking. (Yikes!)

And he's pretty good at getting back down now - not near as many dramatic crashes ending in crying.  

I guess the next milestone is standing and then (Eek!) walking.  

Took a little break to sit and relax.  He's got his mama's fair skin.

Also, this month, he got his first two teeth!  He definitely had a week or two of not so great sleeping/naps but overall, it wasn't the horrible ordeal I expected.  

Most of the photo shoot was spent wrestling this guy into the chair and then acting crazy enough for him to look at me while I took a picture.  

Sleeping: Before Christmas, Caleb was sleeping through the night beautifully.  

Then our two week trip and his sleeping was all over the place.  

It was a little bit of a transition back home but he is now sleeping through the night again 

(thank goodness!).  

He wakes up for like 5 minutes here and there but goes back to sleep on his own.  

The pediatrician today told me to try my best not to feed him at night anymore because it just reinforces the night waking.  

Ugh...not fun.

He still goes to bed around 7pm and wakes up around 7, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes later. 

He takes 2 naps most days...a morning one around 9 and an afternoon nap around 1:30 or 2.  

They each last anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on the day and what we've had going on.   

I'm much more careful about staying home for naps now.  Just as much for me as for him...I hate missing my hour break time at home!  

This part of the photos was NOT easy!  He did not want to lay down flat and just wanted to play.

Golf Club!

Daddy!

Eating: Caleb is nursing 4-5 times a day now depending on how early he wakes up and what our day is like.  

He's eating 3 meals.

For breakfast, he has yogurt mixed with pureed fruit, maybe some toast, and some scrambled egg yolks.

Lunch is usually some sort of fruit and veggie puree.

Dinner is usually a bigger meal and mostly table food - I try to do some sort of meat, chicken or ground turkey, peas or mixed veggies, and maybe some fruit and cheese.  

I love seeing him try new foods and enjoy them.  I gave him some grapefruit this week and I'm so excited to say that he loves it!  Its by far my favorite fruit - I think I had 2-3 grapefruits every week I was pregnant.  

We're going to have a little golfer walking around before we know it.

Love you buddy!

Happy 8 months Caleb!

Caleb is 8 months (a week ago...)!  

Our family so enjoyed being with him and seeing his many sweet faces and new sounds and skills that he does.
He was the star of the show at each place we went.  

At 8 months, Caleb is...

Size: Caleb is around 20 pounds now and definitely feels as heavy as 20 pounds.  

He's wearing 6 month, 9 month, 6-12 month, and 12 months clothes, all depending on the brand and type of clothing.  

He's got some crazy chuncky thighs and chubby cheeks.
We get a lot of comments on his size.  

Sometimes he looks and feels so big to me and other times he still seems so small.  

Likes: This boy is so busy right now.  

He loves to crawl around and is in constant exploration of his environment.  

He can pick out the tiniest little piece of food, lint, fuzz, paper, dirt, or whatever it is on the floor!

  Sometimes I look over and see him chewing and I know he's put something he shouldn't have in his mouth.  

I hate to admit it, but he had his first (lets be honest, it probably won't be his last) piece of cat food today.  I got it before he swallowed it though!

Dislikes: As mentioned, Caleb gets into everything now and often finds something he shouldn't have.

He does not like to have a toy he's playing with taken away. 

Working on/Milestones: Caleb has long mastered crawling, sitting, and going from one to the other.

  The main skills he's working on now is pulling up.  

He goes to his knees often by balancing against a wall or piece of furniture.  

He pulled up onto the coffee table for the first time today.  No surface is safe now!

Also, this week, Caleb is getting his first tooth.  I can see it just peeking through.  Teething has not been too bad.  He definitely isn't sleeping as well as normal but he hasn't been too cranky and has still been taking his naps pretty well.  Thank goodness.  Maybe I just expected the worst so this isn't so bad.  

Oh those legs.

We finally are getting some hair too!

Sleeping: Caleb is sleeping through the night (when we're not out of town!) about 12-13 hours.  

He takes a good morning nap as long as we're at home from about 9:30 and then will take a later afternoon nap around 1:30 or 2:00 that lasts around an hour.  

If he had a short morning nap, he might take 3 naps.  

He's still going to bed around 7:00 and waking between 7 and 8.  

Also, we are now to the point of losing the nap if he gets a small power nap in the car.  

Bummer!  It never used to really matter but now it definitely does.  

Eating: Caleb is nursing 4-5 times a day still, and occasionally once at night.  

He also eats solids three times a day in the morning, mid-day and early evening.  

He's loving solids and we're going to start adding a lot since at 8 months, he can have a whole host of new things!  

I get most of my information and recipes/techniques from Wholesome Baby Food.  

He usually has whole milk plain yogurt mixed with fruit in the morning and different combinations of fruits and veggies for lunch and dinner.
This month, we'll be starting some meats, egg yolks, oatmeal, and many new fruits and vegetables.
So far, he's not allergic to anything and only doesn't like avocado (I know, its sad!) nor the sweet potato/apple mixture.

Arms are gettin stronger

We love you sweet boy!