Can't Help Sucking My Fingers!!

Caleb loves to suck his fingers. Every chance he gets, he's got his fingers in his mouth and if he's really hungry, he'll stick his whole fist into his mouth. It's quite comical.

Anybody see?? He's learned to grab is foot!

Here are some 'old' pictures of Caleb from a few weeks ago. It's been hot on and off here in Raleigh. Some days it's in the 80s F (26 C) and then other days it's in the 40s (4 C)....and then inbetween those crazy weather changes, comes thunderstorms. Hopefully Hurrican season won't be as bad here on the east coast as last year, although North Carolina was spared almost all the storms in 2005.

So it was really hot a few weeks ago, so we decided to buy a small baby pool and see if Caleb would like to hang out outside. Well, Jay had filled it with hose water rendering it ice cold. Without thinking, I put Caleb in his little 'swimmers' diaper and put his feet into this cold water. It took a second and then his face screwed up and and he let us have it!

I then went back inside to add some hot water into this kiddie pool....and there you have it, Caleb lounging (since he can't sit up yet) in this luke warm water outside in the hot sun. Do you notice that we now have green grass? We're one of the first lawns in our neighborhood to have green green grass (thanks to Jay's obsession with yardwork and fertilization).

Yesterady, Caleb discovered his foot. Florice alerted me first and then when I got him home, I put him on his back and sure enough, he grabbed his big toe and jerked it around a couple of times.

He hasn't rolled over yet (that I know of) but there was one day where I put him down on his back, turned away and next thing you know, he was on his belly yelling at me to turn him back over. But since I didn't actually see it, does it count as his first roll?

And Introducing the Exersaucer

Caleb is now settling into his routine at daycare and Florice (our caregiver) is a miracle worker. We are so blessed to have found her.

He's also really liking his exersaucer which makes noise when he bounces up and down and lights up with music when he touches the buttons.

I'm really liking my new job. I get to leave early and hang out with my little man all evening. Our normal routine after we get home is nursing for about half an hour and then I give Caleb his bath and wash his hair. After that, we just hang out in our room watching TV until Daddy gets home. After that, we take turns taking our baths and then get ready for bed.

By the way, is anybody watching American Idol?? I'm really like Elliot Yamin and Chris Daughtry.....vote vote!! This is the first time that I've been sucked into reality TV (now that I'm home more and actually get to follow what's going on).

Caleb's 4 Month Doctor's Appointment

We had Caleb's 4 month doctor's appointment on Easter Monday and he received 3 more shots into his little tiny legs.

All looks well. They said that his head size was only in the 8th percentile but height was in the 50th percentile. weight was only in the 25th percentile. He now weighs 13lbs 6oz and he's 25 1/4 inches long.

Btw: he's also losing all his hair in the back due to the fact that he's been sleeping on his back....:) it's funny.

His thrush was gone. The white spots (which I thought was still thrush) was apparently just tastebuds that were irritated.

I was surprised that the doctor told me to stop his nighttime feedings and that he should now be sleeping 8 hours....it seems so unfair to inflict that upon him now since we're also just starting a new in-home day care (which he loves). I was also surprised that they said that he should be starting solid foods now. Get ready for the stinky poopies!! We've bought the rice and barley cereal as well as an assorted collection of stage 1 foods. We're not going to force it but we're going to give him a taste every day to see if he's open to the idea. So far, he's a little confused as to what we're doing. We've tried the rice cereal mixed with milk and I even managed to get a whole spoonful of peas into his mouth before he wouldn't let me use the spoon anymore.

As for an update with the daycare, I am 100 percent sure that I made the right move. Florice (his new caregiver) is so great! He doesn't fuss with her and he takes the bottle very well.....he also takes naps when the other children are down for naps. This makes my day at work go by so much smoother since I don't have to worry as much (as much....notice I didn't say 'anymore'). He also doesn't fuss anymore if we put him down and go about our business washing dishes.....or writing on the blog.

Caleb's First Baby-Sitter & Our First Evening Out!

Caleb had his first babysitter last night! (That picture is a week or so old). Jay had procured tickets to Cirque du Soleil's Delirium at the RBC center and we called Heather that very same day to see if she could watch Caleb.

My sister actually suggested it!

She reported that all was well, and that he didn't fuss with her! She even gave him a bath and had him in deep slumber by the time we got home.....so deep that he didn't wake up until after midnight for his nighttime feeding. I had even apologized profusely in advance because I thought that he would fuss. Apparently, he doesn't need me every night after all.

Jay and I are so grateful for Heather for giving us a few hours off to go watch a show. The show was great! Not as great as "O" at the Bellagio or "Mystere" at Treasure Island, since it wasn't as acrobatic as the other shows and the costumes were not as surreal as the Vegas shows, but the performances were still amazing. And Jay had got us great seats. Right in the middle, row G (A being closest to the stage).

I can't wait until Caleb gets old enough to benefit from going to some shows....but in the meantime, it's great to know that he likes Heather so much! Future ladies man, here he comes. Just leave it to my son to like the most attractive girls that come visit him.

Anybody Know of a Good Caregiver?

Anybody know of a good caregiver? Caleb's isn't working out as great as we'd thought....

Visit to Sears Portrait Studio

Today we went to Sears Portrait Studio and while we intended to only get one picture in wallet size to document Caleb at 3 1/2 months and have some to send to our parents, we ended up getting the whole package which included have the pictures put onto a CD. We just couldn't resist when we saw how Caleb was smiling in those photos!

We've had a smiley day today, but I was only successfull getting him to smile if I he's the only one in the picture. We're working on getting some smiley pictures with all of us in it.

Today we went out for lunch for Heather's birthday at Mellow Mushroom and daddy stayed home and cleaned the house. We're about to embark on our second full week of childcare at Tonya's house and the his reports are getting better and better. They say that he's much more calm and even smiling every now and then.

We can't wait until he gets bigger so that we can go play at the park or in somebody's pool. We're lucky right now. He's very easily entertained by other people and the TV too (even if we're just watching the news).

Cool! Blog to Book

Cool! I just found a website that converts your blog into a book!

http://www.blurb.com/index.html

My First Week back to Work

It's been my first week back to work and it's been very hard to hear that Caleb is crying all day long becuase he doesn't want to take a bottle. So then I sit at work and try hard to not think that I'm a bad mother for not being able to stay at home with him all day long.

He's staying with Tonya who has a baby that is 2 months younger than Caleb. I just called her to check up on him and he's getting progressively better with each day at her house. He's not fussing and crying all day and has (reluctantly) started taking the bottle.

The worrying about how Caleb is adjusting to childcare has taken over my head so that there are many times during the day that I forget that I'm at a new job and that I'm actually out of public accounting. I'm so glad to not be doing time sheets and to have regular 8 hour days. I'm still in the habit of checking the time after each task and then I remind myself that I no longer need to track my time!

I still haven't gotten around to telling everybody that I've left yet. Hopefully, people will check my blog and just know. I have to admit that the commute causes me to grumble a little bit, but then I look at the time and notice that it's before 5pm. So what if I have to drive a little longer if I only have to be at work for 8 hours a day?? Plus, they have a subsidized cafeteria here.....so I pay $0.26 for a large salad during lunch, and if I want to splurge, I can get a hot meal and a large drink for $0.95. The foods ok. It's better than me having to pack a lunch every day. The most expensive thing I pay for is $1.50 for a cheese omelete in the mornings. I'm totally getting spoiled.

In the meantime, I've been trying to re-create the smiling picture that I took of Caleb below to no avail. I've taken a dozen pictures and all I get is the face right afterward with a little drool coming out the side of his mouth.

A Visit from Granpa Prentice & Auntie Rosalynn

This past week, Granpa Prentice & Auntie Rosalynn came to visit and we all had a chance to hang out and visit with each other since we don't get a chance to see family much out here in North Carolina.

Caleb had a great time hanging with them! He even gave Auntie Rosalynn a big poopie diaper experience :)

Granpa Prentice even gave Caleb a new nickname. It's "Scoops"....as in "I'm gonna 'scoop' you up!". Hopefully, we'll be seeing them again soon!

In less than a week, I'll be gone to work and we'll be leaving Caleb with Tonya, our caregiver....I'm half excited about going back to work, and half dreading having to leave Caleb to somebody else's care.

Smile for the Camera!

Here's our first picture of Caleb smiling! It was a freak coincidence of us fooling around with the camera and him wanting to play.

2 Week Notice

My apologies for the late blog entry this week. I've been busy with all the tiny details involved with.... GIVING MY 2 WEEK NOTICE!!!

I'm finally leaving PwC and neverending timesheets and moving on to try my luck in industry. This decision was reached because of Caleb. This new job will give me more stable hours which will give me more time with my son and no more work travel.

So...in two weeks, I will be going 'back' to work and we will be leaving Caleb with a caregiver. Jay has decided to work only 4 days a week so Caleb will only be with a caregiver 4 days of the week. I'm so sad to be leaving him in somebody else's care but my Mom assures me that all babies go through this and that it is harder for the mother than it is for the baby.

Look Ma! No Hands!

Here is Caleb. Daddy's already urging him to put weight on his legs. It's the old adage, "running before you walk"...in this case, attempting to get your son to walk before rolling over/sitting up/crawling.

Caleb loves to sleep. He's now sleeping later in the mornings so I still get to enjoy my 2 hours of ER (Primetime in the Daytime) before I go back to work in couple of weeks.

His legs are finally getting some baby fat and he's filling out overall...he's so cute!

Everyday, especially when he looks right at us and smiles, he makes our hearts grow bigger until you think that it would burst. It's an incredible feeling. To have such a little being dependent on you for their every need.

Our 2nd Month Doctor's Check-Up

Yesterday we had Caleb's 2 month check-up at the doctors office. The good news,... he's now 11lbs exactly and he's 23 inches long. The bad news, he has Thrush (oropharyngeal candidiasis, or OPC) in his mouth and needs to take this medication 4 times a day for 1-2 weeks until it's gone. Apparently this is something that he would have gotten during the birth process and is easily curable and common in newborns.

Caleb also had something in his belly button burned off by the doctor since it looked like he still had a part of the umbilical stump still attached and it was looking a little red. The result? Now the belly button area is darker than his other skin and the doctor has assured us that this will fade in time.

He also had 3 shots. The first was a combo Polio, Hepatitis B & Deptheria Tetanus & Pertussis Vaccine. The 2nd was the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine and the 3rd was the Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) Vaccine. The poor little guy had 3 needles stuck in his legs before he could get over the shock and start wailing like a mad man.

Overall, he's growing well and he's now in the 50th percentile in height and weight and he's developing normally. He's cooing and he's smiling (the doctor says that it's because he has gas and not because he's happy but I disagree) and he's following us with his eyes (slowly) when we move from one side to another.

Being a "Worry-Mom"

I now have a little more than one month left before I have to go back to work and I am getting very worried and sad about having to leave Caleb with a caregiver. Currently, we spent all our time together and I get to learn about him every day and I'm going to miss him terribly. My mom reassures me that every baby (except those with stay-at-home moms of course) goes through the same thing and that I myself was given to a caregiver shortly after I was born so that my mother could go back to work.

I'm worried that he'll feel lonely and that he won't be conforted when he's unhappy. We currently have one of Jay's co-worker's wives (who's due to give birth in March) scheduled to take care of Caleb since she'll also have a new born to take care of. I'm worried that I'll miss big milestones and seeing him develop, grow and learn every day and that I won't be there to guide him and teach him.

If I won the lottery, I would stay at home and take care of him until he's older and can go into daycare without me worrying that he won't be able to tell me that there's something wrong. Right now, I think that he will benefit most from a home environment. No matter how good the caregiver is, I'll be worrying since I'll be at work at least half the day.

I wish my mom was here so that I know that Caleb would be getting the best care possible (second to myself of course! :) ), but alas, she's in Vancouver and we can't afford to bring Caleb up in such an expensive city. Again, if I won the lottery, we could move back and have his grandparents take care of him while I'm away at work. Even then, I would worry, but it would be the best thing for Caleb. Plus, then, he could grow up to learn how to speak Cantonese fluently.

I've been trying to convince my parents to come down here more often, but that's not fair to them either since all their friends and ties are in Vancouver.

Thinking about this has kept me up at nights and has rendered me unable to put him down since I keep thinking that in a short while, I won't be able to be at home and spend all my time with the one person that means the most to us in the world.

I guess that I'm just being a "Worry-Mom".

Just More Lazy Days At Home

We've just been hanging out at home with nothing much to report.

Caleb's gotten into a habit of fussing at night right before he goes to sleep. Although, because he IS still sleeping through the night, we'll put up with whatever we need to do to keep that going.

He's smiling more now, especially in the morning but we've been unsuccessful in capturing them on film. We're only managing a faintly amused look at what we're doing with the camera.

Mookie & Gung Hei Fat Choy

Last week, Caleb's godmother (my sister Michelle) was here in Raleigh with us and along with Heather, we went to "Build-A-Bear Workshop" and came home with "Mookie, the Monkey".

Mookie is currently slightly bigger than Caleb and could probably trade clothes with him. His feet are definately bigger than Caleb's at the moment.

Meanwhile, Auntie Michelle flew home on Sunday and we're left with just the 3 of us again. We're attempting to settle into a routine and enjoy our time together before I have to go back to work.

Caleb's growing and changing every day. He's getting heavier and more solid every morning and he's now learning how to grab onto things (like my hair when he doesn't want to be put down).

We also want to wish everybody a belated "Gung Hei Fat Choy" (Happy Chinese New Year) and may everybody enjoy good health and happiness in the Year of the Dog. This is my sister's year, so to Michelle, may this year be extra special with blessings of luck, love, & prosperity.

Being Spoiled

Caleb spent the last 2 weeks being spoiled by his Grandparents. He had dozens of pictures taken and all the attention he could ask for. The day after they left, he cried all day long. Luckily for me, babies have short term memories.

Tonight, his godmother, (my sister) is flying in from Vancouver to spoil him for another week.

Last week, Caleb had his 1 month checkup. He's now up to 8lbs 8oz. and he's now 21 3/4 inches long. He's feeling much more solid and a little less fragile. He's still having some problems filling in those 0-3 month clothes. Not many things fit him right now but once he gains a few more pounds, he has a whole closet full of cute clothes that I'm just itching to get him into.
Most of his days are still spent sleeping but I'm slowly getting more and more alert moments.

Caleb's One Month Birthday

It's Caleb's One Month Birthday today and we're all going out to eat in celebration. According to my parents (the now very old sounding 'Grandparents'), it's important to go out to eat in celebration preferably in a restaurant that's on the 2nd floor. Here in Raleigh, our selection of a 2nd story restaurant is very limited so we're forgoing that custom.

He's becoming more alert now and actually focusing on things. There have also been some sporadic (and presumably accidental) smiles that have come and gone without any chance for a Kodak moment.

Another thing that Caleb has been known for (which doesn't come from either Jay or myself) is some explosive sounding gas erruptions. These events are preceded by some frustrating sounding grunts and then followed by a very serene sleeping expression as if nothing much had happened. Now, when we say 'explosive', I mean that they have the ability to wake one from slumber to look accusatorily (is that a word?) at the other spouse until we look down and hear for ourselves that it is actually emitting from this little soul.

Most of his days are still slept in slumber and in increasingly more moments of alertness. Please believe that I am not complaining about being able to sleep now.

I'm already dreading the moment when I will have to return to work. I'm still trying to figure out the day care/care giver situation. If anybody has any recommendations (here in Raleigh), please let me know!