Of A Different Spirit

Wow, where do I start? The past month has been very busy for Caleb. He is becoming more interactive every day. He laughs a little more than he did at Christmas time, but you still have to work pretty hard for it. That is, with the exception of his daddy who doesn't have to work very hard at all. However, he smiles A LOT. It is so sweet to see him smile when I wake him up in the morning to feed him. It starts at that point and continues throughout the day. Of course, he can get quite serious when he is tired or hungry.

This month has also brought with it our first bout with the sniffles. I have learned first hand that it isn't easy when they are sick. The stress level certainly goes up because you have to guess as to what they need and the lack of communication skills on their side makes it very difficult. I know we are in for many more issues with colds, etc. but I am not looking forward to that at all. It is truly pitiful to see them sick and not be able to explain the concept to them. All you can do is hold them and hope it makes them feel better.

I did take him to the doctor while he was sick to make sure we were only fighting a cold, not an infection and to ensure it was staying put in his head and not relocating in his chest. They weighed him while we were there. He weighted a little more than 18 pounds. So, he is probably approaching twenty (or at least it seems that way every time I pick him up) by now seeing as how I took him to the doctor about a week and a half ago. So, he will be moving into 6 to 9 months clothing very soon. He has yet to really fill out his clothes before he gets too long for them.

As you can see, he has started to snack on some odd things. We are now starting the "oooo...let's see what this tastes like" stage. Yes, that's right, he puts everything in his mouth. Toys, burp clothes, blankets, hands, fingers, nothing is safe (Keith and I have taken this opportunity, though, to start teaching him about the dangers of cannibalism You have to start 'em early!). The bad thing about this is we have to be more careful about what is around him. The good thing is we don't have to be as picky about sterilization anymore.

Another one of his favorite activities is watching football with his daddy. He likes to sit in his lap and watch all of the activity. I think it may be all of the movement that he finds the most entertaining. It is so cute though to catch them in the types of moments that I caught with this picture. I just love how they are both sitting in the same position.

This weekend has been very busy, but in a good way. His great-grandparents, Grandnana and Twodaddy are here to visit him. The last time they saw him he had just come home from the hospital, so he has changed quite a bit. They have enjoyed their time here and have had a lot of fun with Caleb. He enjoys Nana's silliness and is always interested in what Twodaddy has to say. We have all loved having them here and hope that they can see him more often throughout this year.

I have also found the invention of the century this month! We have discovered the Bumbo Seat. Well, it isn't exactly the Bumbo Seat, but it is the same idea. It is a seat that supports Caleb enough to where he can sit up in it and play. We absolutely love this seat! It also has a tray where we can put toys, although there are already some on it, or feed him. It also turns into a booster seat for when he gets older. It had more safety certification than the Bumbo Seat which was the biggest selling point. I'll have to take some pictures of him playing in it for the next post.

On a different note, this week Caleb's great-aunt Gloria past away. Her entire family had the privilege of knowing her lively spirit, her fun loving nature, and wonderful heart. We will miss her terribly.

It seems that this past month is only the beginning of the race to keep up with Caleb as he grows and develops.

This has become our favorite part of the day. There is nothing like it.

Caleb's first Christmas was a lot of fun! Of course, he didn't really know what was happening, but we enjoyed it. Children add something special to the holiday.

We were able to have our Christmas in the morning. He seemed somewhat bored while we were opening gifts, which was entertaining. I love his outfit and his hat. His Grandnana gave him his little outfit and we bought the hat. We thought is was so cute and would be perfect for Christmas morning. The bored look on his face made for some great pictures. We spent the afternoon and evening at his Grandma and Granddaddy Kelso's. He spent time with his Grandma, Granddaddy, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Jessica, Mema, Aunt Jan, Uncle Danny, Cousin Joe, Cousin Josh, and Cousin Shaun. He had a great time.

He enjoyed everything he got. There are some gifts that he seems to like better than the others. His Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jessica gave him a cute little bear that he loves. Good job picking that out guys! He also really likes the gift that his Aunt Abby and Uncle Justin gave him. It is a Baby Einstein toy that lights up as it plays music. Yeah, I know that doesn't sound like any other baby toy on the planet. Anyway, it even calms him when he's getting fussy. I think it might be mine and Keith's favorite Christmas present too!

Thank you to everybody by the way. All of his aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great-grandparents made it a wonderful Christmas! I know he loves everything he received and all of the time he spent with everyone during the season.

It seems he does more every day. He doesn't like to lay in his boppy anymore, he wants to sit up. Of course, he can't do it himself, but he is able to if we support him. He gets fussy and tries to pull up whenever we try to lay him down or put him in his car seat.

He holds his head up very well. We don't have to support it very much anymore, but we do have to keep an eye on him in case it seems like his neck gets too tired. He laughed at his dad on Christmas Eve. He has giggled before, but this was the first time he had laughed so loud that I could hear it in another room. He hasn't done it since, though.

We also completed the nursery during this busy season. I woke up one Thursday morning and realized that he had gotten too big for the bassinet and decided it was time for the crib. So we went out and got a mattress and he moved in. It was difficult to put him in there, but I am getting used to it. He has done great. It has been easier than I thought.

The nursery looks really cute now that everything is in there. I will have some pictures for the next post. I would have them now except that I would have to go take them and he's sleeping right now.

Well, we have really had a great Christmas with Caleb and are looking to so many Christmases ahead.

I know I just posted not long ago, but I couldn't help myself! I love this picture and just had to share it. I finally got a really good one while he was smiling. I was taking pictures of him for his Uncle Jeremy because he is in a Harley Davidson outfit, but this was too good not to post. I threw in the second one just for fun. It dawned on me that I had not posted a picture to show how big he has gotten!

He's three months and doing so well!

Well, it seems that two weeks of eating like a hobbit has paid off. He had another check-up last Friday and he is now up to 14 pounds 3 ounces. He is in the 90 percentile for his measurements and his development is right on schedule. Basically, he is very healthy. The doctor said that a growth spurt about this time is normal, so it makes sense that he is now fitting nicely into most of his 3 to 6 months clothes.

He also received some shots during his visit. He did great. He looked at me like "what are you doing to me?" with every stick, which was gut wrenching. He didn't cry for long, and I didn't faint, so I feel that it was a success. The rest of the weekend was exhausting from that moment on, but it wasn't because of Caleb.

He did wonderfully! Even with a slight fever as a result of the shots, he smiled and cooed all weekend. In fact, overall he was in a great mood. I, on the other hand, was taking his temperature about three times every ten minutes. I know, it's a little over the top, but give me a break, this is my first time. The fever broke on Sunday morning and it was all over. Needless to say, this weekend has gone much better.

It seems that he coos and smiles more every day. He even laughed the other day, but hasn't done it again since. He loves to coo at his dad. He also loves to watch TV with him now. He will sit(well, I guess you could call it sitting, it's more like lounging) and look at the TV for a few minutes, then he will look into the kitchen, then the bookshelves, then back to the TV, etc. It is so cute though because he looks like he is actually interested in the show.

We are gearing up for his first Christmas and are really excited about it. We are going shopping for his gifts tomorrow. He enjoys the Christmas lights. We can't sit next to the lights with him if we want him to go to sleep because all he wants to do is look.

Christmas is so different with a baby. It certainly adds something very special.

Caleb really enjoyed his first Thanksgiving. He is now interacting more and was able to have fun with everybody. He spent the day at his Aunt Abby's with Gramma Austin, Uncle Justin, Aunt Mindie, and cousins Laycie and Torrie. We couldn't get him to sleep very much because there was too much to look at so he got a little grumpy sometimes, but other than that he did very well.

I was a little aggravated that I couldn't find an outfit for him that said "Baby's First Thanksgiving," but I think the bib did fine. He wore an outfit that cousin Laycie knitted for him that worked very well with the bib. Both Laycie and Torrie are so sweet to make things for him.

He has done a lot of growing since October. I have no doubt that the next doctor's appointment will show that he weighs somewhere around 14 pounds. He is now in some 3-6 months clothes. Some are still just a little too big. He doesn't ever completely fill out his clothes, but he is certainly long enough for them. It won't be much longer until he will have gotten too long for the bassinet and we will need to move him into the nursery.

He smiles a lot now. It won't be long until he will be laughing. He comes very close to laughing now. It doesn't take much to make him smile. All we usually have to do is talk to him and he will grin. He is also holding his head up very well. It isn't to the point to where we don't need to help him and support it, of course, but it won't be too much longer until he will be doing it on his own.

He likes tummy time and is able to entertain himself somewhat. He is also starting to look beyond what is right in front of him. He will sometimes watch TV for a few minutes. He will also look at pictures on the wall or toys that are a few feet away. He is cooing more and more. He really likes to try to talk to us and still prefers human interaction to looking at a toy.

He has found his fist as well as his thumb, which I am happy about. I have never been a fan of pacifiers because they can be a source of several things that are not great for babies. However, for a while they were a necessary "evil" (for lack of a better word). Now, he doesn't like to take a pacifier and would rather find his thumb to fall asleep with. He also likes to suck his thumb while taking a break during tummy time as you can see in the picture. Well, we won't have to worry about dropping it anymore. I must admit, it is adorable.

This Thanksgiving also brought wonderful news. Caleb will be getting another cousin this June! My brother, Jeremy, and his very sweet wife Michelle will be busy in another 8 months or so. Congratulations Jeremy and Michelle! We eagerly await the arrival of your own little blessing!