Of A Different Spirit

Well, as you all can tell, it has been a very busy four months. I have tried so many times to sit down and blog, but it never works out. Something always seems to take up my time, whether it be the wash, dinner, cleaning, or Caleb, there’s just always something or someone else that is in need of my time. Anyway, my lack of posts in no way means a lack of activity for Caleb. He has been quite busy!

To the Doctor…Again
It has been a tough sick season for Caleb. We have both grown tired of fever scanning, medicine, and all that goes with it. For the last few months it has been a constant struggle, weekly to be exact. He’s had upper respiratory infections, ear infections, eye infections, rashes, and a horrible virus. The last one was the worst. He was so sick, and there wasn’t much we could do except for treating the raging fever and trying to get as much fluid in him as possible. However, things are looking up! Not only are we pulling out of the sick season, but because he is almost 9 months old his immune system should be running well on its own soon.

On the Move
May has been a month of mobility for Caleb. He started crawling earlier this month. In April I could tell that he was getting close, but it took my sister’s cat, Cheese Louise, to give him the motivation. He has quite the interest in cat tails and Cheese has a beautiful, very poofy one. I was at the doctor because he had given me his cold so, Abby was keeping an eye on him for a couple of hours. I told her that he wasn’t crawling so she could just put him on a blanket with some toys. When I returned, she informed me that I had lied about his lack of crawling ability and that he had crawled after Cheese Louise all the way into her dining room. He has been on the move ever since.

Sitting in the Morning, Standing in the Afternoon
Crawling isn’t the only thing Caleb has accomplished. He started standing Sunday. He was in his playpen in the morning while I was having my coffee and I could see the wheels turning as he got up onto his knees. Later, I was folding laundry when I looked over to check on him and I saw his two little eyes peering over the top as he giggled at his new ability.

Sweet Little Boy
When Caleb isn’t sick and is feeling more like himself, he is a very happy, easy going baby. He smiles and laughs a lot and is usually pretty happy entertaining himself if we are busy at the moment. The only exceptions are when he is sick, tired, or hungry. When that is the case he is sure to let us know, but once those needs have been met he is back to smiling and playing. He loves to be around people and never meets a stranger. He will smile at anyone. It is so fun to watch his emerging personality.
He is also a little chatterbox. When he is at home he babbles a lot and explores his vocal abilities, which is hilarious. He talks to his toys mostly, but he also likes a good chat with Pippin or Churchill if he can get one.

Good Little Eater
Caleb continues to be a good eater. He likes all of his vegetables and meats. He also enjoys all of his fruits with the exception of bananas. The bananas don’t go over so well. He is slowly beginning to feed himself, but he hasn’t quite mastered it. He is very happy when he is able to get a puff into his mouth all by himself and will do a little dance to show his satisfaction. Mealtime has become a time of exploration and is, although messy, a time to have fun together as he learns so I don’t mind the mess.

Favorite Playmate
Keith is Caleb’s favorite playmate. He is always very excited to see Keith and will smile, it seems, no matter how upset he may be at the time. This has been great because if Caleb is upset for his diaper change, Keith can make things go a little smoother just by walking over to him. Their favorite game is peek-a-boo which usually results in infectious laughter that can be heard throughout the apartment. Where do I fall in all of this? I am the one content to sit to the side and watch the two of them bond. I love my front row seat!

Meeting the Cousins and Everybody Else
Caleb has also been busy meeting his cousins. He and Avery (born two days apart) were finally able to meet when they were six months old. They didn’t know what to do with each other, but after a while they started to interact. I am excited that he has a cousin that is so close to his age. His mom and I hope they will be close as they grow up. He also met Evan as well, who was very excited about the visit.
Also, an update on an earlier post. Avery is doing much better. He stayed in the hospital for about a week and was released. He is such a cute, sweet baby! I hope that they can see each other again soon.
Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Michelle made a special trip to Florida all the way from Pennsylvania. I was particularly excited about this because I didn’t think they would get to see Caleb until he was over a year old.
Meeting Owen, Ivan, and Aron came a little later. I was happy to see all of them together. Ivan seemed to really enjoy seeing Caleb. My only regret with this visit is that I was unable to get pictures of all the boys together. Oh well, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of photo ops.
Of course, these visits also included others such as aunts, uncles, great-grandparents, etc. which was a lot of fun.
Now, we have only to meet Maddison who will be joining us in June. Congratulations Jeremy and Michelle! We can’t wait to see her!

Well, that was the condensed version, but I hope it catches everyone up. Hopefully, I will post before another four months fly by!

Also, most of these pictures are from Caleb's six month pictures. I have more too. If anyone would like to see more or if you want any, I can email them to you. By the way, they are courtesy of Aunt Mindie! Great job Mindie!