Babies and Fathers

You think changin' diapers is easy?

Caleb's Crawling!

Daycare had reported that Caleb first started crawling last Friday but of course Caleb didn't really crawl for me until yesterday (officially). He's not completely steady but he's moving now. It's so much fun to watch him try to get places....but when he gets stuck he gets MAD.

On another note, we've noticed that Caleb LOVES to eat.....I wonder which side of the family he gets that from? He's open to trying all types of foods so we're mainly giving him those baby finger foods (biter biscuits, thick baby melba toast, puff grained cereal and those wagon wheel cracker things) and he loves to sample table food. So far is favorite is egg noodles cooked in chicken gravy with a touch of ketchup. There's something about ketchup and kids. Then again, Jay slathers his porkchops and steaks with ketchup too...

Playtime with Mommy

These pictures were just too cute not to post. He's so much fun now and we have a ball just playing around. Caleb's not crawling yet but he gets on all fours and rocks back and forth and somehow moves a little and then he gets back into sitting position. While I can't wait until I can see him crawling around, I AM a little glad that he's not that mobile yet (since then I'd be running after him yelling "NOO!!!! Don't eat the kitty litter!!!).

We met a new addition to Caleb's daycare (Hannah) and even though she was only 4 months old (Caleb's 7 now), she was a pound and a half bigger! She had the chubbiest cheeks and the cutest little sausage legs. :) I need to remember to take some photos of Caleb at his daycare so that you can see the other cutie pies there.

Next Time, We Go to WakeMed

Two days ago we went to see a pediatric cardiologist in the WakeMed Heart Center and both the EKG and the cardiac echo test results were fine. There were no problems with the origins of Caleb's left coronary artery and the only thing that the scan showed was a small pinprick in his upper two chambers of the heart which babies are normally born with a small opening which usually closes in the first couple months of life. Caleb still has a small pinprick so we're right on track.

The cardiologist said that we don't need to see him or anybody else for a follow up on Caleb's heart and everything is fine. So the next time we visit the pediatrician will be for Caleb's 9 month appointment.

Just to Keep Everybody Posted.....

Just to keep everybody posted on Caleb's Cardiac Echo test results.....the doctor called me last night and told me not to worry but that the pediatric cardiaologist wants to see Caleb for a follow up. Dr. Espina said that it could be a faulty test or due to the way Caleb was laying down but the Cardiac Echo showed an unusual left coronary artery.

Our appointment is next Monday the 17th at the WakeMed Heart Station with Dr. Cotton so we'll keep you posted.

As you can all see in the pic, he's sitting up, he's learning new things everyday and he's always smiling for the camer (except when we sent to Sears Portrait Studio for his 6 month portrait where he decided that he was going to pitch a fit during the entire session).

Michelle & Queenie's Visit

Here's a pic from Michelle & Queenie's visit from NYC. It's so nice to have visitors here.....so many people SAY that they're going to visit but never actually do.....so I was very pleasantly surprised that they actually came down here to HOT North Carolina....

It's Scary Being a Mom...

Last weekend Caleb had two visitors from NYC - Queenie & Michelle! We were very happy that they came to visit us and even though we didn't have a ton of time together, it was nice to catch up and introduce them to Caleb. I'll post a picture of all of us in the next blog.

We just had our 6 month appointment and due to one of my comments about Caleb sweating when he eats and when he sleeps, the doctor has ordered us to go to REX Hospital for a Pediatric Cardiac Echo 2D scan of his heart just in case. Apparently salty sweat is a symptom of cystic fybrosis and even though he doesn't have any of the other symptoms, they wanted to check it out anyways.

It's very scary being a mom. Everyday there are new things to worry about.

The good news is that since being sick last week, he's gained a whole pound! He now weighs 14.14lbs and he's 25 1/4 inches tall.

Did I Mention That Caleb Can Sit Up Now?

Did I mention that Caleb can sit up now? I had talked to my Dad and he didn't believe me since all of the previous pictures had Caleb surrounded by pillows.

This was taken at my bosses' house where we went this weekend. He was all smiley until I got the 'bad mommy' award. I pinched his little pinkie (by accident) on this little push toy.

If anybody is noticing that Caleb is not very big for a 6 month old it's becuase he's lost some weight due to being sick for a few weeks. At the doctor's visit 2 days ago, he only weighed 13 lbs 12 oz. The week before that he had weighed 14 lbs 4 oz. We have his official 6 month check-up next Tuesday so hopefully he'll have gained back the weight that he lost. We're on "project fatten baby"....and I keep telling Caleb to eat because people look at Mommies strangely when they see a small skinny baby. Babies are supposed to be chubby and plump.

On a Happier Note....

On a slightly happier note, even though Caleb is sick, he's still giving us these big smiles like these. We're so blessed to have such a good baby.

Jay & I were bigger babies when we're sick than Caleb is. (and he's the one with the ear infection, cough, congestion AND stomach flu)....poor baby...

The Whole Family Has Been Sick....

Our whole family has been sick this week with a 'stomach bug'.....which made for a sadly comical night in the pediatric ER where they admitted all three of us.

Caleb had a fever on Monday and when we went to the pediatricion, they said that both his ears were infected. Kathy at work had told me time and time again to go to the doctors but I when I finally went, it made me feel like the worst mother in the world. They prescribed amoxicillin. That evening, Jay & I got sick with this viral gastroenteritis... I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say that it was gross.

The next day, Florice was kind enough to come and pick Caleb up for the day so that we could get some rest and she took care of the poor sick baby. That evening, due to some strange diapers, I called the pediatricion on call and Dr. Espinol suggested that I go to WakeMed's pediatric ER to have they take a look at Caleb. While we were there, since Jay and I were feeling so poorly, we asked them to admit us as a family. (Little did I realize then that it was going to be $150/person according to my insurance!)

So now it's Thursday and we've been out of commission for almost a week. It's times like these that I need my mommy! :(

And this is a photo of Caleb in his hospital gown (at home)...isn't he such a cutie pie?

First Time Swimming!!

On Sunday, Caleb was in a swimming pool for the first time. We were at Heather's parents' house and Caleb had a ball. He was the center of attention and the weather was perfect.

The water really pooped him out.....and he was so cute! When we first put him in the water, he didn't seem to be afraid of it. He seemed fascinated by all the moving colors and the sun reflection. He kicked his legs and every now and then he would lay back on his little floatie like he was just lounging and enjoying himself.

He wasn't afraid even when people were jumping and diving into the pool. Pretty soon, he'll be running and jumping in right after Jay.

Thanks to Heather's parents' for letting us come swim there!

First My Fingers....Now My Toes!

At first, Caleb was sucking his fingers.....and now....he's sucking on his toes. If he's at daycare with his socks on, he'll suck the sock until it gets sopping wet and then Florice has to take off his one wet sock. Pretty.

He'll be in any position and he'll want to suck his toes. He'll be in his carseat and he'll just lift that leg straight up and start sucking.

Am I not providing him with enough toys that he has to revert to toe-sucking as his favorite pasttime?

And Now.....Carrots!

We successfully added carrots to Caleb's growing repertoire! He's now eating rice cereal, single grain oat cereal, green beans, peas....and carrots! Of course, this is in addition to milk.

As you can see it's not a very clean process. That's the post-feeding picture with the carrots all over the place.

He's also getting much better at sitting up!

Adults are the Biggest Babies Sometimes....

Caleb has unfortunately had his first illness this past weekend (which is one of the reasons why I don't have a new picture of him to post.....so I posted one that hasn't been seen yet).

He's all snuffly and whimpering in his sleep (which is partly funny and partly makes you feel so bad that you want to just hold him all day long). We've used the suction (only when neccessary) and he HATES us when we do that. He hasn't been sleeping which is probably due to the fact that his nose is all stuffy and it's hard for him to breathe.

Luckily for us, it was a long weekend so I didn't have to miss work or inflict daycare on him when he was feeling so poorly.

He's feeling a bit better now. Last night, he actually slept like he normally does. Florice has been so good with him. She gave him lots of love and cuddled him all day since he was sick.

I now feel a little under the weather myself.....and if what I have is any indication of what Caleb had, I have to give him props for handling it so well. Adults are the biggest babies sometimes aren't they?

A Missed Co-Worker's Birthday Comment

So, here at my work we celebrate our co-worker's birthdays by bringing in food. People normally bring in the requisite cookies, baked goods and if we're lucky some will the really yummy items such as ribs, meatballs, spinach dip....you get the idea.

Well, I come into work and I hear vague comments over the cubicle walls about spinach dip....then I see somebody bring in a huge bowl of ice......so after my morning coffee fill-up, I stroll over there and ask "Is it somebody's birthday today?".....YES!! IT WAS SOMEBODY'S BIRTHDAY! It's Wendy's Birthday! Wendy, if you read this.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY I'M SORRY I COULDN'T BRING ANY GOODIES FOR YOU!!!!

So here I am at my desk, munching away on foodstuffs while having not contributed a single thing to the office party. As bad as I feel for not having brought anything (due to being left out the "BRING FOOD BECAUSE IT'S SOMEBODY'S BIRTHDAY" email) I will still happily munch away on the array of goodies.

Is that bad?

Caleb's First Drink of Water!

I was such a proud mommy last night. Caleb was nursing before he went to sleep and I was drinking from a big BoJangles plastic cup. He stops nursing and he puts his hand out onto the cup. I thought that this was because of the condensation so I remarked that it was cold. He then grabbed or the lip of the cup and pulled it towards him. Not thinking much of this, I switched it out for a cup that was filled with a little bit of water and playfully asked him if he wanted to 'take a sip of water'.

To my surprise, Caleb actaully pulled the cup to his mouth and drank some water! I had read in the baby books that some babies as young as 5 months can master drinking from a cup but I was shocked that Caleb was already there! We weren't about to embark on the cup drinking skill for another couple of months (or so I thought).

I'm not sure if I was more surprised at him drinking from the cup.....of if I was just surprised that he could communicate to me what he wanted without crying.

I've alerted Florice as to his new skill and maybe they can also work on this new skill at daycare.

Our first Roll-Over!!

Yesterday Caleb rolled over (one-way) for the very first time! We even have it on video! Y ay!

He's been doing new things every day. Yesterday Jay brought home a 4 month old Boxer and while it was very cute, I regretfully told Jay that we can't have a dog in the house at this time since Caleb is hopefully going to be crawling soon.

But when Caleb was introduced to the doggie, he yelled at him! He didn't cry, he just made this noise that I had never heard him make yet. It was like he was saying "Hey, Go Away, You're too Big for Me to Play with you Mr. Doggie". AAH!

Tummy Time and Congrats to the Eric & Kelly

We've been trying to encourage 'tummy time' with Caleb. He normally doesn't like to lay on his belly even though he needs to spend some time there or else he may never learn to crawl. He's been getting better at it lately. He likes to be propped up so in this picture, we've been using Daddy as his prop. He has been laughing out loud lately! This is a fairly new skill. He loves to 'rough-house' and even Florice at daycare commented that he likes to play like a boy.

I just can't resist taking pictures of Caleb in his new outfits. he's wearing 6-12 month old pants (we just have the waistband rolled down) and the hoodie is also 6-12 months (with the sleeves rolled up). He's also wearing some nice white kicks which he only wears for special occasions.

Yesterday, Caleb went to Church for the first time. He didn't seem bothered by the loud music and he seemed to like looking around at everybody.....he even made a point to take a nap during the 2nd half of the service :)

I'm very excited to hear that Jay's brother Eric & his wife Kelly are expecting!! Congratulations!

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?