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!