11th month

Caleb is full of fun these days and is constantly learning new things. He has always been a "babbler" but his "babbles" are starting to make more sense. He is constantly observing how things work and pays attention to the strangest details in toys. Here is what my big boy has been up to this month:

• weight: 26 pounds
• diapers- size 3 (probably his last box)
• clothes- size 18 months
• shoes- size 5- 5.5 (he actually leaves them on now)
• walking EVERYWHERE, it's so strange that C can follow me from one room to another very quickly. He still walks with his hands out for balance and his legs are very wide apart. So cute!  
• new attachment: his blankie- it's so cute when he wakes up he carries it around everywhere with him. (I didn't think he would attach to anything since he never showed much interest in his paci or blanket before)
• climber- this boy LOVES to climb stairs- baby gate went up this month
• Toilets- he figured out how to make them "splash" so we have to leave the lids down and close the door behind us
• Doors- he can open doors with a lever door knob- not good!
• Outdoor baby- C has always loved going outside but this cold weather has slowed that down. He cries to go outside but when he gets cold he gets MAD
• Snow- C got his first hands on experience with snow this month and at first he was all smiles until he started to get cold then he got MAD and screamed. The only thing to calm him back down was a bottle
• Cow's Milk- C's doctor said we could start switching him to cow's milk in a sippy cup since he is getting most of his nutrients from table food now- he has switched wonderfully and I am excited about saving $40+ dollars a month on formula
• No more BOTTLE :)
• Teeth- got one more bottom one this month (7 total) I am pretty certain he is working on two of his big back teeth up top
• Naps- one mid morning and one mid afternoon nap
• Talking- Switched from "da-da" to "daddy" this month, "mama", "mimi", "hi", "bye", "nanny"- pretty sure that is his way of saying "Granny", "Addi", "Pappy" and lots of babbles, he tries really hard to mimic what we say now- so fun!
• Music- C LOVES music- as soon as it is turned on he starts to bounce- his Granny makes sure he listens to lots of old gospel and bluegrass music
• Claps- C claps a lot and is so proud of himself
• Books- enjoys flipping the pages of books over and over
• Fits- C has started to throw fits and we try to ignore him. He is very dramatic and when he doesn't get what he wants he just throws himself on the floor (I try not to laugh, but its so funny) 

  

  All smiles by the tree

  
  

  

  Feeling the snow for the first time!

  
  

  

  Somebody didn't like the snow

  
  

  

  First Snow with Daddy!

  
  

  

  First Snow with mommy!

  
  

  

  Love his big wet grin!

  
  

  

  I got a new camera for Christmas and had lots of fun taking pictures around the house

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  He likes his tractor

  
  

  

  Caleb loves his Pappy!

  
  

  

  Reading my favorite book from when I was a kid

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Richard & Lyndsay's first married Christmas!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I got this up a little late because of the Holidays. C was so much fun to have around at Christmas. He enjoyed spending time with all of our family, he rarely meets a stranger. He enjoyed ripping paper off of boxes and chewing on all his new things. He even got to spend the night with Pappy and Mimi without me (because I had a mean stomach bug). The holidays took on a new meaning to me this year. Daniel and I feel so blessed to have become parents we now can experience the love that God had for his one and only son. I know it's easy to get caught up in all the gift giving, but Daniel and I really want to instill in Caleb how to give and love for others and reflect on all God has done for us!

10th Month

Wow, Caleb is a full time toddler these days. He is getting into everything and loves exploring his world around him. That comes with a whole lot more patience from us, but it is oh so fun! Here is what he has been up to this month:

• weight: still around 24 pounds
• diapers: size 3
• clothes: size mostly 18 months
• form of mobility: mostly crawling- and very fast
• walking: has taken a few steps but nothing too consistent
• Walker: hates that thing- would rather crawl
• babbling- all the time and he can get LOUD
• favorite "babbles" this month: still "dada", "blah-blah-blah", "ne-ne-ne" and if he is upset, hungry or tired "mama" he tries to say "buck", "bottle" and has started on "nigh-nigh"
• gestures: he loves to wave and give high fives. He waves to the TV and anyone and everyone that will look at him. One day my mom and I were eating lunch at a restaurant and he was waving away, we looked around and no was waving back to him. He was just having a blast trying to get everyone to wave.
• Daddy's boy- Caleb adores his daddy and if he is anywhere around he wants to be with him. I am happy he gets this precious time with Caleb since the early days were so consumed with me having him (due to nursing).
• Bottles: we are down to 2-3 bottles of milk a day
• sippy cup- he has finally mastered how to use it and loves to sit up tall and arch his back and drink from his sippy cup
• Lots of "no-no's", spatting his hand, and redirecting but he is slowly learning
• no more teeth- still 6 but he has started to drool and bite on toys again so I think he will get some more in the near future-- I was so sad this month because he figured out how to bite the edge of his crib :( So his crib has little beaver marks all along the front rail.
• Stair crawler- he has figured out how to go up our stairs all by himself rather quickly- the whole going down thing not so much
• Food: He is eating nearly everything off of our plates. He is such a good eater and I have been surprised by how many different things he has tried. Things he has liked so far: black olives, pickles, tomatoes, potatoes (we knew that), deer meat (with ketchup), and of course anything sweet. We joke that Caleb will tear up his first birthday cake because he really enjoys sweets!
• Health: Poor Caleb has had his first "virus" this month. He ran a fever a few days and now has a small head cold. He has taken it very well. In fact, he hasn't been fussier just "snugglier" and I am ok with that!
• Memory- Caleb cracks us up because when we go to specific places he remembers were certain things are. For example: when he gets in my car he always reaches for my school badge and starts playing with it and with Daniel he always finds his "head light" when he rides in the side by side.
• naps- one morning and one afternoon nap a day (1-1.5 hours each)
• dishwasher & fridge- these are magnets for Caleb, if the door of one of them is open- he will be there very shortly!
• Here are a few pictures from this month:

  

  Caleb checking out daddy's buck!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  making his way in the dishwasher!

    
 

Caleb's first bonfire!

Granny's cheerleaders at her first 1/2 marathon

She did great!

Caleb was cheering on Granny in his sleep!

Kayla did awesome too!

Jean & Daveline :)

 

Caleb moves NON stop all day. He does not like to sit still. He doesn't want to be held sitting down he would rather be up moving around. I love this boy so much and I am so thankful he is mine! Daniel and I are really enjoying this age so much because his little personality is developing more and more each day.

9th Month

Ok... I am having a hard time believing that Caleb has been out of my womb almost longer than I carried him. I love the stage we are in right now. I wish I could just bottle up all the fun things Caleb is doing because I know I am going to miss this stage-- when he really becomes mobile. Here are a few things that he has been up to this month:

weight: I think almost 24 pounds, not sure on length we go to the doctor next week

diapers: size 3

clothes- size 12-18 mostly 18 months (they look so big- but fit tightly)

food- 5 (8oz) bottles a day, 1 bottle of juice a day, Caleb loves to try to eat what we do. He has always been very interested in food but now he does a great job gumming it and actually swallowing it. This month he has enjoyed vegetable soup (canned from this summer) and hash brown potato casserole (man after my own heart).

teeth- no new ones this month- still has 6 and the top ones are getting HUGE- I love his big toothy grin

FAT feet- if I find shoes that fit his thick instep they are WAY TOO LONG- I bought some nike's the other day, but they just aren't working

toys- Caleb loves his music table --his favorite thing to do is stand up next to it and open and close his book; most of the time he would rather play with household items such as the DISHWASHER, Cabinets, and Fridge

Climbing- we have caught Caleb trying to climb multiple times (one time he climbed up the bottom two stairs by himself, next time it was my quilt wrack, and lastly the coffee table)

Understands NO- we have had to give fewer "spankings" on his hands this month. Now when we say no he spins around and curls out his bottom lip. We still have some trouble with cords and of course when we go new places he will test his boundaries. We have a lot more work ahead of us, but we feel better knowing Caleb understands the words "NO".

Walking- not yet, but getting VERY close. Caleb pulls up to things and lets go and stays standing for anywhere close to a minute. He has accidentally taken a few steps a time or two.

Music- Caleb loves when music is on and he will instantly start bopping up and down- so CUTE

walker- doesn't really like it that much unless I am cooking and I give him treats while he walks around in it (who doesn't like treats?)

Naps- still taking 2-3 naps a day. He normally takes 1-1.5 hour morning and afternoon nap

Sleep- now that the days are getting shorter and Caleb is playing harder he normally goes to bed around 8 and he actually sleeps till 7 or 7:30 since it's still dark out

Daily walks- Caleb enjoys ridding in the stroller and looking at the cows and horses down the road

Laugh- still doesn't quite know how but tries so hard and it cracks us up

Words- FINALLY mama- in context :) Dada, Mimi, lots of b- sounds (we think he tries to say bottle and D is trying really hard to teach him buck)

Lots of babbling and it sounds more like words instead of repeat sounds

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from his 9 month shoot

 


This boy loves putting sticks, dirt, leaves, or anything dirty in his mouth

 

 

 

This is his "cheesy" grin

 

Every day I look into Caleb's eyes and wonder how my heart could be any more full. I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to be his mama. My life is so far from perfect and I have a hard time balancing things, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

8th Month

Wow I cannot believe that I just typed the word EIGHTH--- I do not have a baby anymore.. Caleb is turning into a TODDLER more and more each day! He has so much personality these days and does not meet a stranger. Here are a few things that he has been up to this month:

• weighing in at 21 pounds and 8 ounces
• diapers: size 3 (I was wrong last month- he will be in 3's for a few more pounds)
  
• clothing size: 12-18 months
• strong thick muscular thighs- I learned this month that he cannot wear "straight fit" pants-- he has very strong rounded thighs and butt just like his daddy ;) 
• thin blondish/brownish hair; eyes are a darker grey most of the time now
• thick feet- size 4 shoes would normally fit but since his instep is so thick most shoes don't work :( since he really isn't walking I haven't worried to much about shoes
• crawling EVERYWHERE--- he is getting very efficient at following us around the hosue
• pulling up on EVERYTHING- he loves to follow behind me and pull up on the cabinets and he really likes to help me load the dishwasher
• standing up on his own- I think he will be crawling pretty soon as soon as he figures out how to move those feet (we will be in big trouble)
• eats: 5-6 times a day 
• favorite foods this month: mac & cheese veggies (ha gets that from me), sweet potatoes & corn, any fruit, and of course he loves his strawberry yogurt bites
• self-feeds: Caleb is a very independent eater and prefers to feed himself
• new teeth: cut 4 teeth on top all at one time (6 teeth total)
• full of drool 
• babbles alot- still saying "da-da" all the time, and "ma-ma" only if he is mad and wants some help
• sleeping in his OWN ROOM-- this is the best news from this month :) I finally took the plunge and put Caleb in his room upstairs (he transitioned just fine- much better than I  thought)
• Bedtime: around 8 PM and wakes up between 6-7 AM
• Naps-  2-3 a day--- Caleb doesn't nap well for Granny so he gets lots of good loving (rocking) at her house 
• Bath: has a blast, splashes around, and pulls up on the edge- makes me a nervous wreck
• Lots of "No-No's" this month-- Daniel and I have had to be firm and consistent on spanking Caleb's hand and telling him no-no when we see him playing with something unsafe. We do not want to go overboard on "baby-proofing" our house (yes we have used common sense and removed dangerous items in his way- such as Daniel's deer horns). We want Caleb to understand the word no so that when we are in a new place, we are not walking around on pins and needles hoping he doesn't try to play with something he shouldn't. Instead we want him to understand what no means so that we can say it and he will stop. He has made lots of progress so far. The biggest obstacles so far have been the computer tower and plug ins. Now all we do when he crawls close to them is say "no- no" and he stops what he is doing and looks at us and rolls his bottom lip over. Small progress, but I will take it. 
• Loves: household items, noisy toys that light up, Bonnie (our dog), other babies, EATING, waving good bye
• Going out to eat with Caleb has become so much easier now that he can eat more real food. We just break off pieces of our veggies and he feels included too.

I am so in love with my life right now. Yes I work and do not get to spend as much time with Caleb as I'd like, but I have a great job and have the best caretakers for Caleb. I feel so blessed and have a new outlook on life. I have slowly learned that my boys take top priority and it's ok if  everything else (housework and school work) are not perfect. The moments with my family are going by fast and I want to cherish all the time we have together. Here are a few pictures of this month :)