Mississippi

This past weekend, Caleb got to meet his extended family on Ben's mom's side.  Ben grew up in Mississippi and moved to Texas when he was 10 right before 5th grade.  We went to Tupelo where his grandparents and two of his aunts live.  We decided to fly instead of make the 11 to 12 hour drive.  I was a little nervous as to how he would do on the plane but he did great!  This kid just continues to amaze us.

Waiting in the airport

Mimi and Caleb

Aunt Judy

Aunt Pam

In case you can't tell, Caleb took about 2 naps in a bed over the 4 days we were in MS.  He's such a cuddle bug and at this point would rarely turn down a nap in the lap.  Precious boy.  

Four generations - Pa, Ben, Caleb, Ben's Dad Mark

Second cousins Miller and Marin

Miller fell in love with Caleb and was glued to him.  During dinner on Saturday, he told Aunt Pam who was holding Caleb, "I'm not really eating much, I can hold him!".  

I did worry a little bit if Caleb would sleep in a crib again when we got back or if it would be a battle, but he actually did great on Tuesday when we got back and took a 3 hour nap in his pack'n'play!  I think he was thankful to have his own space and was tuckered out from all the new people and excitement.

We tried to keep with our normal routines as much as we could so we attempted to do bath time.  Caleb plus the little sponge filled up the entire sink and barely left any room for water.  But whatever we did worked because he slept well until the last night.

Pa and Caleb - Caleb loved Pa!

Pat Pat (Ben's mom) and her grand baby 

The Sewell Family plus the Cooper fam

We can't wait to go back!!

Happy 3 months Caleb!

Today, Caleb turns 3 months old. 

The last month he has really changed so much in the way he acts. He is sleeping better, taking naps better, crying much less, and starting to actually form some sort of schedule. Its been wonderful. 

He's also smiling so much and talking to us with his sweet baby talk. 

I love  hanging out with him.  When family comes, its a nice break and a good refresher but I really am ready to hold my boy when they leave!  He's just such a delight to be with.

His eyes are still a dark dark blue so the jury's still out on if they'll change to brown like mine (we call them Pulliam eyes) or go the Cooper route and stay blue.

Most of his newborn hair has fallen out and he's got a short peach fuzz growing in.  Maybe its wishful thinking but I think it might have some curl to it. 

What are you doing mom?

Oh!  You're taking pictures of me!

I guess that's ok.

Actually its kinda fun!

At 3 months, Caleb is...

Size: Still in 3 month clothes.  Some of the 3 month clothes that were too big fit him pretty well now and he doesn't look silly in pants anymore.  His legs are long enough that I think shorts and pants are just the cutest on him.  He's about 14 1/2 pounds now and roughly 25 1/2 inches long.  I think he's the cutest ever.  Have I said that yet?!  I tell him that about 100 times a day!

Likes: Right now, sweet boy is discovering everything around him.  He loves to look at faces and listen to people.  When Ben comes home and starts talking, he just stares and smiles.  He loves anything with music and lights.  This week, we started laying on the floor and reading books together and he just stares and studies the pictures.  I love it.  The teacher in me just eats it up.  He likes to sit in the Bumbo on the counter with me while I cook dinner or bake.  He still enjoys the Bjorn although he's getting a little heavy for me.

Dislikes: That hasn't changed much - he doesn't like to wait to eat or to feel tired.  That's about all I can come up with.  He's pretty laid back still. 

Working on: C is working on strengthening his sweet little neck.  He can sit on his tummy and lift up his head.  He's been doing that more and with more control.  He can hold up his head really well now when we hold him sitting or standing.  He doesn't seem to be trying to roll over when he's on his tummy or back.  I guess he'll figure out soon that rolling is a possibility.  He's much more consistent and going three hours between feedings which is what we were working on at 2 months.  Now we're working on naps on the back.  Right now he takes great naps on his tummy but I have to be right there with him (the pediatrician said he could sleep on his tummy as long as I was watching him) so we're working on taking naps on the back unswaddled.  He takes some naps like that but no long ones.

Eating: Caleb is eating more at each feeding and very consistently going 3 hours between feedings which makes getting into a schedule much much easier.  I only know he's eating more at each feeding because when he takes a bottle, he's taking 5 ounces or so instead of 4.  He's still a great nurser and we've had no problems.  I continue to thank God for blessing us in this way.  It is nothing of my own doing and I am so thankful that it has gone well.  Also, he takes bottles well which I'm hoping continues!

Sleeping: C's naps are much more consistent and I can usually count on 3 naps plus maybe a small one in the evening.  As I said above, he sleeps on his tummy for naps and sometimes on his back.  He goes down swaddled on his back at night around 7:30 or 8:00 and sleeps well still in our room in the pack-n-play.  On average, he wakes up around midnight/1am and then somewhere between 3am and 5am and then between 7 and 8am for good.  One night this week, he skipped the midnight feeding and didn't wake up until 3:30am.  I'm hoping those types of nights come more and more frequently.

We love you Caleb Brewer!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

July 21st was our 5th anniversary.  Wow, 5 years. A season of life that has lasted longer than any other stage thus far.  Longer than high school, longer than college, longer than my short single after college period.  That also means I've been out of college for 6 years, high school for 10 years.

Our first 5 years were characterized by the DINK (double income, no kids) lifestyle of bliss, eating out, vacations, and learning how to be adults together.  It was great.  We weren't perfect but we learned so much about each other, ourselves, how to manage money, how to be loving and unselfish in a whole new way, and walking with the Lord together as he grows and strengthens our character.

We've been through 2 apartments and are now in a house.
We went through hurricane Ike together in our tiny apartment's closet.
We bought 3 cars, traded in 3 cars.  Now we have 2 family friendly cars.
We've been to Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Seattle, Victoria Canada, Napa, San Francisco, Springfield MO, Washington DC, and the exciting metropoli? of Arlington and Allen.
Ben has had 2 jobs, me one and now I'm at home.
We adopted two kitties.  And one of them got huge.
We got pregnant and had a precious baby boy.

The next 5 years will be very different.  It will be years of babies and toddlers, sweet time at home, and learning to be unselfish in a whole new way.  God is already teaching us both so much, stretching us physically (can we say interrupted sleep) and spiritually as we trust in Him to provide for and lead us through this next season of life.

To celebrate, we decided to go all out and go to Fogo de Chao off Westheimer.  Have you ever been there?  Go hungry.  And expect to leave stuffed.  I ate more meat than I had in weeks.  I used all my extra Weight Watcher flex points for the week.  But it was so worth it.  And then we got dessert and coffee.

My sweet mom came in town and was our Friday babysitter.  She took care of Caleb as we went to the mall, and then went out to dinner.  He did so well with her.  It was such a nice break and when she left, I was really looking forward to spending time with Caleb.  I missed him!

Happy Anniversary Babe!

It's just a corner now.

A couple weeks ago, something amazing happened. I'm not quite sure what made the change but suddenly I'm able to get more than just house work done while Caleb naps. I finally feel on top of life enough that I can do housework and get some other things done during Caleb's naps or with him when he's awake sometimes. It's amazing.

My first project was the "corner of stuff". Some of you may have seen the picture on Instagram. That was two weeks ago.

With the help of my mom, a garage sale, and some of this extra found time it's now just a corner. Here is the before and after.

Before

After

Grandparent visit

The weekend before last, Ben's parents, Pat Pat and Grandad came down to Houston to visit us...well, let's be honest, they came to visit Caleb.  And I love that!  They came in Friday night and we got to go out on a date.  We did one of our traditional pre-baby dates of Yard House then Sweet in City Center but just for dessert/appetizers this time.  I got a strawberry cupcake that was amazing to go along with milk tea although sadly they were out of the tapioca balls.

It was hard that first night to be away from Caleb and to turn my brain off obsessing over him.  Part (however big or small) or all of my brain is thinking about him every waking minute so to go out and then just not be responsible was weird even though when we left he was already asleep for the night and wasn't going to wake up before we got home!

Saturday, Pat and Mark took care of Caleb all day.  I was just food.  We went to breakfast then came back and I fed him.  Then we went out and ran some errands and I came back and fed him.  The next stretch, I took a nap.  When we got back from one of our outings, the grass had been mowed and edged.  Such love!  It was a nice day off for sure for the both of us.  That night, we got to go on a second date!  This time we went to the Sugarland town center.  We tried this new restaurant called Guru Burger that has burgers and crepes.  Odd combination yes, but delicious!!  We even went back there this Friday night.  OMG get the dessert crepes if you go.  We got the dulce de leche one and it was amazing.  Then we just walked around and enjoyed a night out alone.  We got back around 10:00 maybe and the Caleb boy was sound asleep.  They got to do bath time and then feed him and put him to bed and they said he just did wonderfully as did they.  Way to go Grandparents!!  I enjoyed our 2nd night out much better and was able to turn off mommy brain enough to enjoy dinner with my hubs!

Then Saturday, we were all together.  I had mentioned to Pat that I had several projects I wanted to do and that one of them was to plant a garden out by our porch and make it more of an enjoyable place to sit in the morning or evening.  We asked the guys and they were on board so we got to it!  Looking at how much work was done, there's no way I could have done that by myself like I had planned in my head.  I'm so so glad they helped.

Pat and I went to Home Depot and bought the plants while they guys dug out a garden area and put the grass in some patches around our yard.  

Looking at how much work was done, there's no way I could have done that by myself like I had planned in my head.  I'm so so glad they helped. This is Plumbago.

Knockout roses that will more than quadruple in size.

The workers!  They just did so awesome.

Lantana, Mexican Heather, and Pintas.  

The wonderful part to is that after we planted it, it rained almost everyday.  Great for new plants!  

But then they had to leave and we were all sad.  We'll see them at the beginning of August though for a trip to Mississippi!

Happy 2 months Caleb!

Last week on July 4th, Caleb turned 2 months.  

What a month it has been.  

Feels more like a year because of all that has happened and all that has changed.  

Even just 2 weeks ago seems like months ago.  

I left my camera in Fairview so my friend Amy came and took these great photos.  Thanks Amy!  They turned out great.

This month was a month of filling out.  He went from a skinny newborn to an (almost) chubby baby.  The newborn look is gone and we are into full baby.  I just love his chubby thighs and cheeks.

Oh those scrunched up lips and chin.  

Caleb's sleep definitely is evolving.  The first 6 weeks it was pretty much a consistent pattern of eat, sleep, poop.  Now he stays awake about 30 minutes to an hour after each feeding and loves to play under his play gym and to kick and wiggle around on the floor.  

C has also learned hand to mouth.  This is his preferred thing to suck on.  The paci which we worried he would get too attached to is not so interesting anymore but man, that hand.  Good stuff.  

And a big first of this month - SMILES!  It was so so fun to see those first smiles and now we are rewarded often with sweet little smiles and responses.  Its quite a thrill.  

I love this boy so much!

Look at that tummy!

Tired out after the mini photo shoot.  What a sweetie.  

At 2 months Caleb is...

Size: Caleb is into 3 month clothes and newborn is waaay too small now.  Even some of his 0-3 month clothes are too short.  Some 3 months clothes are still too small.  He's filling out and has some chunky thighs and cheeks and quite a belly.  

Likes: Caleb is developing some real likes right now.  At about 6 weeks, I brought out his play gym and it has lights on the top and objects.  He loves to sit under it and look at the lights and listen to the music.  He gets really excited and kicks his legs and moves his arms around and hits the hanging toys.  Yesterday he even grabbed one although it might have been on accident.  He actually likes bath time right now.  He also likes to be in the bjorn.  

Dislikes: Waiting to eat which I rarely make him do and feeling tired.  Those are the two things that consistently make him cry.  Other than that, he's pretty chill and I can't think of much more that he doesn't like right now.  

Working on: C is getting better at holding up his head and enjoys his tummy time but only for a little bit.  We've got a good routine going now of eat, play, then sleep but we're working on going 3 hours between feedings.  It happens about 2/3 of the time probably but sometimes he is just ready early so he eats earlier.  I want him to eat when he's hungry though and so I don't make him wait just to stay on schedule.  We're trying to find some sort of schedule but I'm taking it slow and not stressing over it.  I think more important right now is that we've got consistent routines.  

Eating: I'm so thankful that Caleb is such a good eater.  We have had almost no problems with nursing.    He does take a bottle and I hope that continues.  He has a bottle probably about 1-2 times a week.  We started with Tommy Tippee bottles and he seems good with those.  Its so nice to have a break sometimes to go out with friends or just to give Ben a chance to feed him.  

Sleeping: This seems to be the biggest issue for babies.  The issue with the most opinions and confusion and contradicting information.  Rock or not.  Sooth or cry it out.  Right now I'm in the soothing camp.  I'm not ready to let him cry it out and there really hasn't been much of a need to.  He goes down really well at night after we started a night time routine and nap time seems to be ever evolving.  He sleeps in many places and sleeps well.  He is waking up consistently about 2 times a night.  Last night he slept from 9pm to 3am which was amazing for me!  6 hours!  It was glorious.  Fortunately even when he does wake up, he goes right back down after he nurses.  

Its so fun to see the change.  

A trip to Fairview

This past weekend, Ben, Caleb, and I took a trip to Fairview where my family lives.  We left on Friday afternoon when Ben got home from work and got to Fairview (north of Dallas) around 8:30.  I gave Caleb a bottle in the car so we didn't have to stop and it went so well!  That boy loves to sleep in the car.  He slept most of the way which made for a really easy road trip.  Although we did pay for it a little bit when we arrived because he didn't go to sleep until much later than normal.

My parents moved to a new house a little over 2 months ago and this was my first time to see it.  Its a little smaller and the backyard looks out onto a golf course.  It's just perfect for them.  So Saturday morning, we got up and sat on the front porch with Caleb and watched the golfers go by.  Ben was playing with my dad and we were able to see them drive by and hit their second shots on the 8th hole.  So fun!  Then we headed out to shop.  We went to the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco which is the mall I went to in my really cool high school days.  One night we even went to the mall bought these costumes and walked around in them all night.  We looked like this...

And then we returned them at the end of the night.  What?!  I'm not sure what the thinking was there but we sure had fun.

Anyways...Caleb had a nice nap strolling around the mall and I got to shop for some things while my mom walked around with him.  I got a pair of shorts and a few tops.  Its summer y'all and a girl's gotta have some shorts.  And shorts that fit.

Saturday night, we met my entire family for dinner.  Caleb was passed around and everyone oooohed and ahhhed over him. It shows such love to me to see them love on him and take care of him.  He is just precious!  He fell asleep with my mom and only started to crack up as we were heading out of the restaurant.   As Ben says, he's clutch and always seems to pull it together when we need him to :).  Thanks buddy!

 Uncle Keith

 Aunt Marisela

Grammy

Grandaddy and Mama

Sunday morning, I got to go have brunch with my sister while my mom took care of Caleb.  Ben played a second round of golf with my dad.  We went to Mimi's cafe. YUM.  All in a great weekend!!

 Driving by on the course

 They drove up to see us!

 Ben's second shot.  Nice stance!

Aunt Anne

He LOVES to stretch his arms like this.  I absolutely love it.

This weekend, Pat Pat and Grandad (Ben's parents) are coming down to Katy to see Caleb the three of us.  And Ben and I are going to go out on a date!