Fourth Month

This month has definitely been the fastest one so far. I cannot believe my little baby is so BIG! I know it will keep going faster and faster. I’m sure it feels like it has gone by so fast because I have been so busy working full time and had lots going on. I am definitely ready for life to slow down a little bit so I can enjoy time with my precious family.

• Caleb is currently wearing size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothes. He weighs 18 pounds and I am not sure how long he is (We will find out at his appointment June 7).
• Caleb still enjoys going outside and has gotten a little sun tan. We spend lots of time outside playing on a blanket under our shade tree and swinging in our tree swing. It’s so funny because he even has tan lines in his rolls.
• Caleb LOVES bath time more than ever. We moved him out of the kitchen sink because he way too big and made a huge mess trying to splash around. I decided to move Caleb to our bathtub and put just a little water in the bottom. I lay him on his back and he smiles and splashes the whole time. As a time saver, Caleb has had a few showers with daddy too! We hope that his love of bath time means that he will enjoy pool time this summer!  
•  Caleb seems to like our afternoon walks for the most part. He lays back in the stroller with his feet kicked up on the arm rest. He has no worries! He always gets mad at me when we walk facing the sun. (I try to go later in the afternoon to prevent too much sun exposure)
• Caleb is now big enough for his exersaucer. I think it’s a nice break for him since he spends so much time playing on his back. He plays really hard for about 15 minutes and then his neck muscles get tired of holding up his big heavy head and he starts to fuss. I think this has helped make his neck muscles stronger.  
•  Caleb is a ROLLER. He thinks it’s funny when he rolls from his tummy to back. It’s so cute because when he lands on his back he looks around and smiles really big like he is proud of himself. He hasn’t quite figured out how to roll from his back to his tummy, but I have a feeling it won’t take him too much longer to figure it out. He doesn’t spend much time on his tummy now that he knows how to roll over.
• Caleb is full of laughs and big smiles. I just LOVE IT. He makes lots of noises when you tickle him on his feet and blow on his belly. He seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. 
• Caleb is not smiles all the time; he does have a temper when it comes to waiting for his food. He can go from playing and smiling to screaming for his food in a quick second. Daniel and I laugh at him when he acts this way, but we know it won’t always be so cute.
• Caleb has still only had breast milk (I have met my short term goal) and eats about every 2-3 hours during the day. We have started feeding him rice cereal with breast milk at his 6 o’clock feeding and he is doing such a great job eating it. I cannot wait to try him on baby food! Daniel and Granny worked hard on planting a garden this month. I cannot wait to steam the veggies from our garden and make Caleb fresh baby food.
•  Caleb still goes to bed after his 8 o’clock feeding and normally sleeps between 7-9 hours at time. I have felt like a new woman getting decent amounts of a sleep again. He is such a morning baby. He normally wakes up between 6:00- 7:00 and he is ready to play! 
• Caleb is still sleeping in his rock n sleeper in our room, yes I am terrible. We have made some progress though; he is now napping in his crib a few times a day. Our summertime goal is to get him to sleep in his crib at night (I will start trying as soon as school gets out). 
• Caleb is still a cat napper. He normally takes 30-45 minute naps. Most mornings, he takes on longer nap (anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half). I have noticed that Caleb sleeps much sounded during his naps now that he is more active. I guess he is just wearing himself out. 
• Caleb drools on EVERYTHING and spits up a lot when he is bottle fed. He goes through multiple changes of clothes a day. 
• Along with the drool, Caleb always has his hands and fingers in his mouth. He has learned how to move objects to his mouth and chew on them. 
• Caleb still has brown hair with an auburn tint. His eyes are still greyish blue.
• Caleb is very expressive and has some of the funniest
  faces. He will pout his bottom lip out in a hurry when he is mad. His right eye is bigger than his left when he smiles (just like me). Poor guy! He raises his right eye brow when he is staring something down (just like me). He definitely still has dad’s feet and tiny ears. His legs are very strong and his thighs are super thick like dad’s. I think he is a good mix of the both of us!

  

  This is him about to roll

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I am looking forward to the next month so much. Here are a few fun things I am looking forward to: swimming in Granny’s pool, eating fresh veggies from the garden, camping trips, and lots of fun in the sun! I am loving every minute of being a mom. I am so blessed!

Third Month

I have been slacking on my "blogging". Going back to work full-time and being a mommy does not allow me much free time these days.

I cannot believe my lil man is already 3 months old. This month has been my favorite in so many different ways. He is becoming so interactive and my love for him grows deeper each day. Here are some of Caleb's milestones for this month:

• Caleb is still my porker weighing in at 15 pounds and 12 ounces. I am not sure how long he is we will have to measure him soon.
• Caleb is a great eater (as always) and nurses every 2-3 hours in the day. He has had more bottles of expressed milk this month because I went back to work. Caleb has no trouble drinking from a bottle- Daniel and I joke that he would lap the milk up out of a bowel if that's the only way he could get it. The boy is going to eat! He is eating about 4 ounce bottles right now- we tried 5 but he spit up a TON!
• Caleb is quite the social eater these days. I am not sure if it is because he is used to bottles being easier and faster, but when he nurses his head is constantly bobbing off and he will look up at me and give me his big gummy smile! This melts my heart, reminds me how all my hard work is paying off.
• Caleb is full of drool and loves to blow bubbles. It is so hard to keep him clean. It seems as soon as he gets a new outfit on one of two things happen: a) he spits up all over it or b) he drools all down his shirt. 
• Caleb has really discovered his hands and they are almost always lodged in his mouth. His hand eye coordination is getting so much better and he loves to grab at things; especially hair!
• Most of this month Caleb was in size 2 diapers, we just moved up to 3's because he was starting to leak out of his diapers. 
• Caleb is now wearing 6 month clothes (ah), his 3-6 month pants are too small and I just had to move him up to 6-9 month pants. His 6 month pajamas are getting snug as well. This boy does not get a chance to wear his cloths out, he wears things like once or twice then it is too small.
• Caleb has been a very observant baby from day 1 but he is getting even better at focusing in on things. He enjoys looking in the mirror. It cracks me up when he finds himself because he has a stare down with his reflection which normally ends with a big gummy grin.
• Speaking of gummy grins, Caleb loves being talked to. When someone talks to him with a high pitch voice he will smile so big. He still loves to coo and make sounds. He has even laughed a few times. Most of the time when he hears someone else laugh that makes me him laugh- I think he is going to be full of belly laughs like his daddy!
• Caleb is still a morning baby- most mornings he wakes up while I am getting ready for work so I feed him and put him on his playmate. He is such a good little player while I get ready- he just plays  with his toys and cooes and laughs. It makes getting ready so much easier on me, knowing that he is happy! 
• Caleb still goes to bed around 8:30 and normally sleeps between 5-7.5 hours his first stretch then about 3 hours his second stretch. I figured out that he was waking up around 1 AM out of habit. I normally let him cry it out for about 5 minutes and then he is back out for a few more hours. 
• Caleb is no longer swaddled and has outgrown his swing. He naps and sleeps in his rock-n-sleeper. I really need to transition him to a flat surface to sleep on, but its hard when I am not here most of the day.
• Caleb has the best babysitters. Daniel's mom and my mom have been watching him since I have gone back to work. It sure makes leaving him so much easier. He loves spending time with his Granny and Mimi!
• Caleb still loves his tummy time. His neck is getting so strong. He enjoys sitting up (with our help) and looking around at everything. He has even used his Bumbo a few times- I think he looks like such a Big Boy when he is sitting up! 
• Caleb loves his bath time even more this month. I never end bath time with a dry cloths. He loves to kick and splash in the sink. I am looking forward to when he sits up better and can be moved to the bath tub. I think that will give him even more room to play.
• This past month, we went on several walks.Caleb loves riding in the stroller. He seems to enjoy laying back in his stroller and kicking his feet up on the handrail. 
• Caleb is very much like his daddy, he LOVES being outside. We learned this last month, but with the warmer days he has had the opportunity to be outside a lot more. Warm afternoons we like to go outside and play on a blanket in the grass. Another favorite thing to do is swing in the front yard. 

• It seems like I am forgetting to write down so much. This month has been so much fun. I thank God everyday for the opportunity to be Caleb's mommy. He is such a blessing to our family. I am trying to soak it all in!

Thankful Thursday

     The  Lord has really blessed my little family lately. Our cup truly runneth over! Sometimes it is easy for me to get in a slump and feel sorry for myself, but the Lord has been showing me how to look at things through a thankful perspective these days. I wanted to record a few things that I am thankful for. Some are serious and others might just be silly ;)

1.  God’s Provisions:   At the beginning of my maternity leave I knew that taking 12 whole weeks off of work would be kind of tight on our checkbook. Daniel and I discussed it and knew that money might be a little tight, but that time with Caleb would ultimately be the best “bang for my buck”. I only had 7 weeks of paid time off and I could not see myself going back after only 7 short weeks. Well this is where the Lord has totally provided for us. Daniel and I decided to refinance our house around November. It took several months to get everything finalized. I don’t really understand all the details, but since we switched mortgage companies we ended up not having a house payment for two full months (April & May). WOW, GOD is great!
2. Friends & Family: Daniel and I have been amazed at how our family and friends have been so supportive and wonderful to our family during this new adventure. We were overjoyed by how many texts, calls, dinners,  and visits we had after Caleb was born. I think we counted more than 80 people came to see Caleb in the hospital in one day! WOW! I didn’t have to cook dinner for 3 whole weeks after Caleb was born--- that was extremely nice! I almost forgot how to cook! God has blessed us with some great people in our lives!
   
3. Mom Friends:  Having a baby has been such a wonderful experience but I have never felt so clueless in my life. Sure, I babysat and helped with babies my whole life. That is nothing like taking a newborn home from the hospital and being completely responsible for them. I have had a wonderful support system of mom friends. I feel like everyday I am either  “Googling” or texting a friend a question or concern. What would I do without these wonderful moms in my life?? Here are a few random facts I have learned: a) to get their umbilical cord off you have to be rough (eek), b) breastfed babies have poopy diapers that look like mustard and sesame seeds (ha), and c) little boys will PEE every time cold air gets on their pee-pee (stand gaurd).
4. Baby smiles & cooes: Caleb is full of smiles and cooes these days. They can cheer me up in a second. Most mornings Caleb fusses to get out of bed and the instant I pick him up--- he is full of smiles and baby noises. It sure makes this mommy happy! He especially loves to hear laughs and high pitch noises. We like to say "ohh" and "igood" to get him to talk to us.
   
   
5. SLEEP: Caleb has started to sleep in longer stretches at night (around 6-7 hours). That does this momma some GOOD!!!!  I am so thankful for these long stretches of sleep!! 
   
6. Frozen milk: Pumping is NOT MY FAVORITE, but I am so thankful that I have extra milk that I can store for when I go back to work in 2 1/2 weeks. So far I have over 45 frozen bags of 5 oz of milk. WOOHOO! I am so thankful for my small stockpile and I think Caleb will be too!
   
7.  TIME: I am so thankful to have 2 1/2 weeks left with my little man. Going back to work is going to be tough on this momma, but I am trying to be positive and enjoy every minute I have left with my little man. I miss my sweet kindergarten students and know that our last few weeks of school are going to be great! 
8. Sweat free dinners- I am so thankful that my wonderful husband has stepped up and cooked dinner SO many nights. By about 6:00 PM this momma is exhausted. If Caleb wants to cluster feed, I have a hard time trying to cook dinner. My husband has been so awesome and has cooked us lots of delicious dinners!!! I am so thankful for my baby daddy!  
   
9. Poppy Diapers- I am thankful for tummy free nights :) 

Second Month

We have been a family of three for two full months now! It’s hard to remember what life was like without our little man. He is such a blessing and I am trying to soak up every minute before I have to go back to work. Here are a few milestones from Caleb’s second month:

 

• Caleb is still my little porker, he weighs 13 lbs and 10 ounces. He went through a growth spurt during week 6 when he wanted to eat every 2 hours at night— I’m sure glad that’s over with.  
• Caleb is now wearing size 2 diapers. He was only in size 1 diapers for 2 weeks. His 0-3 month clothes are too small now, so he is now wearing 3-6 month clothes.
• Caleb started smiling at 4 weeks. He has really started to become more alert and responds well to really high pitch noises. He still smiles a lot when someone sings to him. He normally wakes up very happy too--- unlike his daddy ;).  ** I did catch daddy humming in the shower at 6:30 AM the other day. Caleb has made him much happier in the morning! **
• Caleb cooes a lot when you talk to him. In fact sometimes when I lay him down for his nap, he lays and makes noises for about 15 minutes--- it’s the sweetest sound! If someone talks to him; he tries really hard to move his mouth like theirs. It cracks us up. Granny said this is a sign that he will probably be an early talker, I cannot wait
• We thought Caleb was somewhat “colicky” during the early evening hours (6-9). He is very gassy at this time and does not rest well. Pumping Caleb’s legs helps Caleb release some gas. He farts like a grown man!!! A friend suggested that we try “Colic Calm gripe water” from Walgreens. That stuff is amazing. It helps ease his tummy at night and in return Caleb sleeps much harder 
• Daddy is the poop master he can get Caleb to go poop by bicycling his legs and massaging his tummy. Now if we could just get daddy to change those diapers after all that hard work--- ha!
•  I try really hard to put Caleb down for the night after his 9ish feeding. He normally sleeps from 4-6 hours then does two 3 hour intervals after that. Daylight savings time actually worked in mommy’s favor; he now sleeps past 6 AM J He normally wakes up between 7-8.
•  Due to Caleb’s fussy time at night, we moved his bath time right before bedtime. This seems to relax Caleb and I love getting sweet cuddles after he is clean. J He loves to lie on our chest and is such a sweet cuddler! 
•  Caleb still sleeps in his rock n sleeper at night. I tried to let him nap in his crib and let’s just say that will be a battle we will face later.
• Caleb naps in his swing and sleeps much better if I swaddle his arms down. He has really discovered his fingers now and loves to nibble on them.
• Caleb is doing much better with the pacifier but never wakes up with it in his mouth.
• Caleb is a great traveler during the day- we typically leave the house each day for something small. He enjoys his car seat and loves his stroller- as long as I don’t stop moving. We still go visit daddy at the fire station for dinner- but sometimes this is hard if he is fussy.
• Caleb went on his first trip to my mom and dad’s in Jacksonville this month. This was at the beginning of his growth spurt, so he was not in the best mood. We had a great time visiting with family and friends. Caleb made us pay for it by keeping us up most of the night. We will try another trip again at Easter.
•  We took Caleb on his first hiking trip last weekend. He LOVED being outside and enjoyed riding in the infant backpack on daddy’s chest. We hope to do this again soon! 
•  If I go somewhere, Caleb will more than likely be with me. I have such a hard time leaving him just to go get groceries. Therefore he goes with me now. Caleb even went with me to get a pedicure this month! He was such an angel and got lots of attention! I don’t know how I am going to leave him when I go back to work. I know he will be in the best hands possible, which is very comforting! 
•  Caleb went with me to “girls’ night” too. We didn’t get to stay too long , but it  sure was good to see my girlfriends! 
• Caleb also got to meet his girlfriend Abby Rose this month. My friend Autumn had her baby and we went to visit them in Conway. She is absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to watch Caleb and Abby grow up together. I see lots of summer swim dates coming up! 
• Caleb nurses for about 20 minutes every 2-2.5 hours during the day. He just started reaching for my hair when he eats—melts my heart! He is like clockwork. He normally nurses, plays for about 40 minutes, and then lays down for a nap. He is normally pretty predictable during the day. He rats himself out when he is getting sleepy because he normally starts this really pathetic “whiny cry”.  I have noticed that Caleb is starting to stay awake more during the day, he doesn’t want to miss out on anything. Sometimes during the day he goes from feeding to feeding without napping. This normally happens once in the morning and once or twice in the afternoon. 
• Caleb is getting better at lifting his head and normally has tummy time several times a day (when I pump). His neck is getting stronger and it is so cute to watch him try to lift up that heavy head! 
• Caleb’s eye color seems to change depending on what he is wearing. His eyes are still pretty dark, but don’t really seem to be turning brown just yet. I think he might have daddy’s eye color now. His hair seems to be lightening up some. It seems to have an auburn tint in natural light. He still has his little rat tale--- ahh! He has become much “fluffier” this month. He now has rolls on his thighs and arms. He has a round Buddha belly too, I love it!

Now for the best part--- some pictures!! We have so much trouble capturing Caleb's smile with the camera. I guess it's hard for him to see us behind the big camera. As soon as we pull the camera out, he gets his serious look on his face. So here are some "serious" pictures! 

Caleb loves to kick his feet ALL THE TIME

This is the closest thing I can get to a smile on camera

Caleb was talking to me!

He was taking a break from lifting his head

He found those fingers again!

I am so excited to see what milestones Caleb has this next month. He is growing and changing daily. I just wish time would slow down! I have to go back to work mid-April and I know my heart will be missing my little sweet heart.

A Hiking We Will Go

Daniel has been super busy  with firefighter classes from 8-5 each day on top of his usual shifts. Caleb and I have been missing him like crazy. So when I saw the forecast for the weekend (high 70's and sunny), I asked him if he would take us hiking. He is a huge outdoors-men so he quickly agreed.

We have had a longer winter than usual. Due to the cold windy weather, I have not gotten Caleb out too much. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take Caleb on an outdoor adventure. On Friday, me and Daveline took Caleb on a walk down our road. He was so content and seemed to enjoy the fresh air. I thought this was a good sign that he would enjoy the hike.

Any trip with a 7 week old requires planning and lots of packing. It was well worth all the work. Caleb absolutely LOVED being outside. He rode in an infant backpack on Daddy. This was our very first time to use the backpack, so we were not sure if he would like it.

After a few minutes of riding on daddy, he passed smoothed out. When I say passed out I mean--- limp arms, droopy neck, and drool! We laughed so hard because he was so content. I was so excited to see that he enjoyed riding in the backpack. I think it will be much easier to use (than my stroller) when I walk down our bumpy gravel road. 

I am looking forward to many more adventures outside with my two favorite boys!!! 

Just for fun, here are a few pictures of me and Daniel a year ago at the same place. So much has changed since then and I would not trade it for anything!!! 

Funny Friday

Ok, Daddy would kill me if he knew I posted this picture. This is from about 3 weeks ago and it just cracks me up.

What do you think?? Looks just like his daddy huh?? Poor boy! Hope this brought some laughter to your Friday!