Brrrr

It started to get cold here tonight. (Stop laughing...it did!) Miami weather is usually pretty nice, but it does get chilly here on occasion. However, it does not usually happen in October. But
if the conditions are just right, it will get pretty chilly. A cold front is moving in from the North and it is expected to get down into the 50's overnight with a windchill into the 40's. Once the sun started going down this afternoon, we immediately started to feel the chill. Since we were going out to hang out with our Starbucks bible study group, Mom bundled Caleb up for the first time in his life. Fortunately, Mom was able to cobble together an outfit of a sweatshirt, sweatpants, some thick socks and a the only cap he has that fits. Mom and Caleb took a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon before I got home from work, so Caleb was already bundled up when I got in the house. I hardly recognized him since I couldn't see his red hair and some of his features. But he didn't seem to mind all the extra clothing and he looked quite cozy strapped into the car seat.

Shopping

One of the rituals that we counted on for some time after Caleb was born was our shopping trips. For the first few months, Caleb would ride in the Boppy Sling, usually asleep. He outgrew that a while back and he started to go through the grocery store in the Bjorn carrier. Now that Mom's school year is in full swing, we rarely have the opportunity to go to the grocery store together, so Mom has started going by herself. Today, she emailed me this first picture with the note that it is
getting more challenging to have Caleb at the grocery store. He started in the carrier but he was too wiggly, so Mom had to move him for his first ride in a grocery cart. I guess it won't be long before he is able to pull items off the shelf into the cart.

Caleb is also more challenging with regard to bringing the groceries into the house. Mom had to put him in his crib to keep him contained while she put the groceries away. Caleb has been really fussy in the afternoons lately and has been really demanding of Mom, so she was a bit surprised when she went to get him out of the crib and found him playing quite contentedly.

Fall?

We concluded a very busy weekend with a visit to the Little Farm pumpkin patch. Autumn is the time of year we get most homesick. We have recently seen friends on Facebook posting pictures of their babies at pumpkin patches and other fall/harvest events and we decided we needed to do the same with Caleb. We got him an outfit at the mall last weekend that seems appropriate for fall and then we were off in search of a pumpkin patch. Mom suggested Little Farm which is an educational spot
located in the last remaining agricultural zone in our area. So we headed there after worship today. Prior to going to the farm, Caleb did not nap during worship, so he slept through our lunch and was still asleep when we arrived at the farm. After wandering around allowing Caleb to see some barnyard animals and experience the smells of a farm, we found the pumpkin patch. The patch was really a single flat bed trailer covered in hay and pumpkins and surrounded by hordes of adults pointing their cameras
at some kid on the trailer. It was kind of intimidating so, of course, we dove right in. It was hard finding a spot where we could get a clear shot of Caleb without people in the background. We discovered it was near impossible to get Caleb to pay attention and look at the camera, which is a first for him. He has gotten so used to the camera that it is getting difficult to get a candid shot of him because he knows to look at the camera when he sees it. But today, he was far more fascinated by the hay. He
had a clump of hay in his hand just about the whole time he was on the trailer. He was so interested in his surroundings that he did not notice or care when he toppled over onto his side. We did manage to get two or three really cute pictures of Caleb, but in most of them, his focus is on something else. It was kind of warm today, so we were all worn out when it was time to leave. It does not matter how many scarecrows or pumpkins you put out this time of year, it just does not truly feel like Autumn when it is 80 degrees outside. At least the weather somewhat cooperated and we had some clouds to make it look like a fall day rather than being bright and sunny with blue skies.

After our adventure at the farm, we came home and we all ended up crashing in the living room until it was time to head back out for our evening assembly. I fell asleep on one couch watching football and Mom and Caleb slept on the next couch. After a while, Mom got up and I ended up with Caleb. She took our picture because she was mad at me that I would not let her change the channel because I was watching football. This picture was taken to prove that I was not watching football.

Chores

Feeding Caleb is quite the mess. His food usually ends up all over his face, chest, the tray and the high chair. We have decided to put Caleb to work and earn his keep. You can see that he enjoys
cleaning up and does so with joy.

Tonight we went to a birthday party for several people from church who had October birthdays. It was a fun night because we kind of got a break from Caleb. There was an unending stream of people who wanted to hold him, so Mom and Dad were able to enjoy the evening in relative peace. We left the party a little later than his bedtime, so he was starting to get really tired by the end of the night. He fell asleep almost as soon as we got into the car.

Book Lover

Tonight, we went to our favorite book store. This is the bookstore where we purchased the last several Harry Potter books because they do really cool events. They also host lots of author events. Tonight, they hosted an appearnce by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson to promote their new book, Science Fair. Dave Barry is a humor writer who has written numerous books and he wrote a humor column for the Miami Herald that was syndicated in papers all over the country. We enjoyed his columns even before we moved here, but since he often wrote about the humorous side of Miami, we grew to appreciate him even more. A while back, he teamed up with Pearson to write a series of Peter Pan prequels. We decided to go to the first appearance at the book store for the first Peter Pan book because we are fans of Dave Barry. Mom enjoyed the book and we have since gone back to get the next two books in the series. When we found out Barry and Pierson had another book out, we knew we had to get it.

Mom picked me up from work and we went over to the bookstore. We browsed for a few minutes and before we took our seats to wait for the event to start, Mom picked out a couple of new books for Caleb to chew, I mean read. Caleb sat in his new stroller and did very well. He was not very disruptive during the entire presentation. While waiting for the event to start, an older couple next to us started talked to Mom about Caleb. They were highly impressed at his mellow demeanor and his curiosity for all that was going on. Numerous people passed by his stroller and he watched every one. At the end of the event, we waited in line to get our copy of the book, then we took a stroll through the neighborhood so we could get some dinner. After dinner and finding a new chocolate shop near the bookstore, we called it an evening.

Mom didn't tell me why she took this picture, but I wanted to include it because Caleb is such a happy baby.

Pulling His Weight

The first picture is really just here because Caleb is so cute. The second picture demonstrates the point. When Mom gets home from work in the afternoon, she hardly has any time to do
any chores around the house because Caleb demands her attention and to be held. Mom said this was the only chance to get anything done this afteroon as Caleb slept while she folded laundry.

Striking Resemblance

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The swing we were given by the cradle rolle teacher is a pretty fancy contraption. The seat rotates so that the baby swings side to side or front to back. The control panel resmbles the inside of an airplane cockpit with about ten swing speeds, and controls for sound effects, lights and a spinning mobile. Above the swing seat is a ball that has lights in it and there is a mobile that goes around the ball that can actually spin. This is one high functioning machine. While the swing has been a lifesaver on many occasions, most of the features have remained unused up until now. Recently, I have notice Caleb looking at the fish on the mobile while he was swinging. Today, I caught him actually reaching for one of the fish. He was able to actually grab it for a split second but was not able to hold on because of the swinging motion. I now feel that we have gotten full use and benefit of the swing.

A while back, I added the Lily Pie birthday counter to the top of the blog so that we can all keep up with Caleb's age. Mom said it didn't fit because, at the time, Caleb was not eating solid food and was not sitting in a high chair. I'm happy to report that as of tonight, Caleb now completely resembles the icon. Caleb is perfectly capable of sitting in the high chair and he wears his food as well as the icon. But the final piece was put into place as we began the green vegetables this week. We have started out with green beans and the reaction seems to be mixed. He doesn't eat as much as when we feed him rice or sweet potatoes, but he does not flat out refuse it, either. It's interesting to watch him eat something new. After having the new vegetable in his mouth for a second or two, he closes his eyes, wrinkles his nose, shakes his head and his whole body shivers. He did this with some of the orange vegetables and he eats them pretty well now, so I'm hoping that this is more of a reaction to the new flavors and textures rather than than a flat out dislike.

Hide and Seek

Not only does Mom worry about Caleb knocking his head on the tile, Caleb does not like it when he rolls onto the tile which is cold and hard. He usually ends up crying when gets off the quilt onto
the tile. Mom tried to solve that problem today by putting a larger quilt underneath his quilt. But he is rolling so much that he rolls right off the larger quilt, too. So Mom tried to put him back in the middle of the quilt. The second time he tried to roll under the couch where Mom couldn't find him. I hope that he soon figures out that crawling is a much more efficient method to get around rather than blindly rolling to one side or the other. I guess the other option is to get a pack 'n play and confine him to a small space.

At Least He Enjoys the Sweet Potatoes

Monday, October 20, 2008

I may be criticized for writing about Caleb's "stinkier" side, but that is part of the package. Onward we go.

Snippets of tonight's conversations:

6:00 P.M. Mom (on IM): Hold on...I have to go do an emergency diaper change.

9:30 P.M. Mom: I'm glad you are home. I need you to take the cloth off the bouncy seat frame so I can wash it.

10:00 P.M. Dad: So, do we
have some pictures today or do I have to go wake the baby up?
Mom: No, I took some pictures of Caleb sitting up on his own in the bouncy seat. Those are the last pictures before the accident.

We were aware that Caleb's number 2's would take on some different characteristics now that we are feeding him solid food. However, we haven't seen much difference so far, though we started to see a change this weekend. Fortunately, Caleb is well trained and does most of his number 2's during the day time so I rarely have to deal with them. I guess tonight his system finally decided to clean itself out (as usual...I was still at work...thanks, C). We have had other parents describe "explosions" to us, but hearing about it from someone else cannot really prepare you for it. Caleb had his first real explosion tonight. I don't want to get too graphic (especially since I was not here for it), so I'll just say that Mom refuses to put Caleb back into the bouncy seat until it has been thoroughly washed and we'll just leave it at that.

Unusual Laundry

We knew the amount of laundry we would be doing would increase after having a baby, but we found an interesting item in today's laundry. Mom was folding some laundry and left the empty laundry basket on the bed where Caleb was laying. Because the basket has so many little places for a little hand to grab on, Caleb was immediately drawn to the laundry basket. Mom flipped the basket over and put it over Caleb and he thought this was so funny. He was just giggling and having a good time.

Later on, he wasn't having such a good time. We were in the kitchen worken and Caleb was on his quilt. We kept looking over at him and he kept rolling off the quilt. Mom wants to keep him contained to the quilt as long as she can because she is worried that he is going to roll off the quilt and smake his head on the tile. I sat him back on the quilt and surrounded him with pillows to try and keep him hemmed in and to soften the blow if he tipped over. The pillows did their job when he plopped over, but once he was on his stomach in the midst of all the pillows, he was upset and looking for a way out. He ended up scattering the pillows and rolling off the quilt where he continued his protests.

The last couple of days, he did not nap very well which has made the evenings very challenging as he has been pretty cranky. It helps him go straight to sleep at bedtime, but it is challenging when he is obviously very tired but he won't let you rock him to sleep. Hopefully, he will get back to his normal routine and take some naps during the day now that all the grandparents are gone and its back to being just the tree of us.

Mama's Pumpkin

Saturday, October 18, 2008

One of Mom's favorite nicknames for Caleb is Pumpkin. I often hear her cooing "hey Pumpkin!" Because of this she is keeping her eye open during the fall for pumpkin outfits and paraphernalia. We can never walk into Target and get past the $1 items they sell at the front store. She recently saw a pumpkin shaped photo frame at Target and snapped it up with no hesitation. So when Mom found this jack-o-lantern shirt, it was a no-brainer that she was going to buy it for Caleb. So now he's Mom's scary little pumpkin.

Caleb is growing more and more wiggly which makes it much more difficult to change diapers and put his clothes on. This morning, while Mom was was dressing Caleb, he flipped over on his stomach on the changing pad which was a first for him. We keep a basket full of toiletry items for Caleb on the changing table next to the changing pad. These items usually sit behing Caleb, but when he flipped over, the basket was right in his face. He quickly located his brush and he was obviously quite pleased with himself.

After he was dressed, we tried to get some work done in our side yard during the cool part of the morning. Mom set Caleb in his bouncy seat in the shade while we worked pulling weeds and trying to clean up some plants that have overgrown on the side of the house. We were able to get a little bit done, but it wasn't too long before Caleb grew tired on being confined to the bouncy seat while we ignored him. He was soon crying and Mom had to take Caleb into the house. I didn't work too much longer because it was starting to get hot already, but we did get a good amount of work done.

After coming in from working, I sat down to play a game of football on the Playstation. Mom wanted to go take a shower, so she brought the bouncy seat into the leaving room so she could leave Caleb with me while she showered. To be safe, she faced the bouncy seat away from the TV so Caleb could not watch it. For good measure, we gave him an empty water bottle to keep him entertained. Our efforts were futile because it wasn't long before he figured out how he could get a glimpse of the TV. Isn't it obvoius that the kid wants to watch football with me?

Caleb finally conked out about time we were ready to head out for the afternoon. We stopped for lunch at Arbetters, a famous hot dog restaurant. Caleb slept through our lunch. We then headed out to a mall for a leisurely stroll and we ended up picking up some clothes for Caleb to wear during the holiday season. We got home just in time to rest for a few minutes before we were back out the door to meet some friends to go to Octoberfest. We enjoyed sitting under a big tent eating bratwursts and listening to a loud band playing German music and various other tunes. Caleb did fine most of the evening and I was surprised how well he did with all the sound and stimulation. By the time we left, it was obvious he was very tired. When we packed up to leave, he was asleep in his car seat before we got out of the parking lot. He only woke up long enough to get a quick bath and a small snack before going back to sleep for the night.

Hipster

Granddaddy and Whatshername left today (FINALLY!) after extending their stay by a day at least twice. They had a ball playing with Caleb a couple of extra days, but Caleb can handle only so many "last nights" with the grandparents before they leave. Well, now they are really gone. But they didn't get away without a little more goofing off. After we dressed Caleb, Whatshername had Caleb and found a hat lying around that we have been intending to return for quite some time. She put the hat on Caleb and the two of them proceeded to ham it up for the camera together. I suppose Caleb spent the rest of the day peddling newspapers on a street corner somewhere.

Balloons!

Caleb had his first experience playing with balloons today. At Mom's school, various classes host bake sales during lunch throughout the year to raise money for the class. For
today's bake sale, one of the moms brought balloons to decorate the bake sale table. Someone thought that it would be a good idea to tie one of the balloons to the stroller for
Caleb. He apparently seemed really fascinated with the balloon and enjoyed playing with the ribbon tied to the balloon. He had so much fun that Mom brought another one of the ballons home for him to have here and he continued to play with it throughout the afternooon and evening. The balloon was a double bonus because the cat has enjoyed playing with it once it was abandoned by Caleb. Of course, it is merely a coincidence that the two balloons happened to be UM colors.

Daytime

Since Caleb spends his days at school and I don't have the opportunity to visit him throughout the day, his days are really a mystery to me beyond the tidbits I get from Mom. Just in case
anyone else is worried that Caleb suffers due to our daycare arrangement, I wanted to share a couple of pictures with you to show that Caleb has an abundance of toys and he does not lack for attention or entertainment.

New Wheels

I am no longer surprised, but I am still amazed at the generosity shown to us both by people at church and parents at Mom's school. Today, out of the blue, a student's mother came into Mom's office to give us a very nice umbrella stroller. The family was saving the stroller in case they have another child, but they are moving out of state and do not think it is worth it to move it. So they decided to give it to us. It is a nice brand and it is in very good condition.

After dinner tonight, Granddaddy unfolded the stroller to take Caleb for a spin. He rolled all over the living room and Caleb seemed to really enjoy Granddaddy's maneuvering. However, I'm not sure Granddaddy didn't enjoy it more.

Granddaddy and Whatshername were determined to get a lot of play time in tonight and they disappeared with Caleb into their bedroom. Mom and I joined them after a while. They were laying on the bed with Caleb sitting in between them. We took this picture of Caleb and I couldn't resist using it because I think Caleb has a really cute expression on his face.

After play time in the bedroom, we were all sitting back in the living room winding down for the evening. Recently, the cook at Mom's school gave Caleb a pair of little booties with rattles attached. Caleb likes to kick his feet when he is excited which especially impresses Granddaddy, so we put the rattle booties on him. Granddaddy is also impressed with how well Caleb can get a pacifier in his mouth. Of course, right after saying this, Caleb promptly started chewing on the pacifier backwards. I hope this does not indicate a future pattern of contrarianism.

He'll Sleep Anywhere

Mom had the day off today because it was Columbus Day, so the big event of the day was for everyone to come have lunch with me. We went to a spot near my office and had nice meal together. Now that we are letting Caleb sit in high chairs at restaurants, we don't usually bring in the stroller or the car seat. This presents a problem when Caleb decides to sleep during our meal. While we waited for our food, Mom fed Caleb and nursed him and he fell asleep while nursing. In order to eat, the only option was to lay Caleb in the booth between us. Mom laid him at an angle next to me then she sat down on the other side of Caleb. We put his legs over ours and angled our knees toward each other to keep him from slipping out of the booth. He slept all the way through lunch until we left the restaurant. He was a good boy, but I bet he had one heck of a crick in the neck due to the the angle in which he slept.

I Should Be Charging Admission

We had a pretty big day today. As usual, we went to worship and Sunday School before heading out to lunch with some friends. We've been following a food progression for Caleb given to us by
the pediatrician. We started out with rice and then oatmeal. Now we have to move through colored vegetables starting with the orange vegetables. Today, we tried carrots for the first time at lunch and our friends got to enjoy the experience with us. Prior to today, Caleb's mealtime messes have not shown up very well in pictures because the color of the food does not stand out as well. Now that he is eating colored vegetables, the messes should be a lot more obvious.

During lunch, Caleb only had a few bites of carrot. He actually shivered a couple of times. He closed his eyes and his whole body shook. We're not sure if that means he doesn't like the carrots or if he's just not used to them. I think the carrots probably have a completely different flavor than his milk or the rice the oatmeal. I have a feeling (or a hope) that his shivering response is due to his pallet because he is not used to rich flavors yet. After eating, it was obvious that Caleb was ready for his nap. Granddaddy held Caleb while we finished our meals and Mom took this picture of Caleb, droopy eyes and all.

We did not have life group tonight, so other than an excursion to the grocery store, we were able to relax (as much as you can relax when the Cowboys lose) at home all afternoon. Caleb had actually fallen asleep during the Cowboys game and just as it was about to be dinner time, I took Caleb who was still sleeping. Mom was afraid to give him to me because she was afraid I would shake him in response to something that happened in the game. Despite the strange events at the end of the game, I am proud to report that Caleb was not awakened by me.

After he did wake up, it was time for Caleb's dinner which consisted of carrots again. For the second meal in a row, he did not seem very interested in eating the carrots. However, Mom put a drop of the carrots on the tray so Caleb could feel the texture on his hands. He was extremely interested in playing with the carrots and spreading them all over the tray. It turns out that carrots stain and the tray now has a slight orange tint to it.

After dinner, it was playtime. Mom and Whatshername took Caleb into the nursery and it wasn't long before we were all in the nursery watching Caleb. Caleb had been propped up into a sitting position and he continued to sit up on his own quite nicely. We all sat around him watching him play on the jungle gym.

I retreated back into the living room to watch the Dodgers game when I heard granddaddy calling me back into the nursery. As I was walking back to the nursery, I heard granddaddy say "it won't be long before this greets you in the morning." (I am the one that gets Caleb up these days.) When I walked into the nursery, I discovered Caleb standing in the crib, holding on to the rail and grinning at whoever would look at him. Granddaddy had put him there and with the support of the rail, he was able to stand for a long time, although he did lean to one side from time to time requiring an adjustment by Granddaddy.

We also pulled the drum back out and put it in front of Caleb. Again, the sticks were more appetizing to Caleb than the prospect of beating on the drum. We quickly realized it would not be good for Caleb if he tipped over with a drumstick in his mouth, so we took those away. Caleb then decided to try and eat the drum itself. This was quite amusing because each time he tried to pick the drum up, his equilibrium was disturbed and he would tip over to one side. However, he was determined and each time we righted him, it was right back to the drum he went.

Granddaddy and Whatshername spent quite a bit more time watching Caleb play before he ran out of gas and it was time for bath and bed. Needless to say, they were quite entertained.

Saturday

Caleb's MawMaw got a piggy bank for Caleb and she has been dropping loose change in it whenever she has the chance. We have not had the chance to bring the bank home after visiting, so Granddaddy and Whatshername brought the bank to us this week. They also had little case with some more change in it for Caleb. Whatshername sat down to clean up the change for us before we put in the bank. Caleb sat with her while she cleaned and counted the money. I am sure that one of these days, Caleb will think of something really clever to buy with his gift from MawMaw, but until then, we have to keep the money away from him lest we end up viewing the coins on an x-ray machine.

On their recent visit, Poppy and TuTu brought Caleb a new drum (payback?). I put it away in the nursery expecting it would be a while before he can really play with it. Whatshername was hanging
out with Caleb in the nursery this afternoon and she pulled the drum out of the toy basket. The drum is really nice, however, Caleb seems far more interested in the drumsticks than in the drum. I have no problem with this toy right now as long as he doesn't shove one of the sticks down his throat. However, it will be really interest once Caleb learns how to use the sticks and play the drum.

I went to the Miami football game this afternoon and Caleb, Mom, Granddaddy and Whatshername spent the afternoon at home. They say they stayed home and had a quiet evening and afternoon at the house. However, the evidence indicates Caleb was worn out by the time I got home from the game. He fell asleep in Whashername's arms about an hour before his usual bedtime. He never takes a nap that late in the evening. Sometimes we put him to bed a little early, but he never conks out like that without going through his routine. Caleb is having a lot of fun with his grandparents, but all the playing sure takes the energy out of him.

Simple Things

Today, Nana took the day off and Granddaddy and Whatshername spent the day at school taking care of Caleb and Marissa. I think Caleb enjoyed having them there, but I have a feeling Granddaddy and Whatshername probably enjoyed it more. Long before Caleb came along, Granddaddy has always been a big fan of babies. It's not uncommon to go to worship with Granddaddy back home and see him holding somebody's baby. While, I'm sure Caleb got a lot of attention from Granddaddy today, I'm sure he was tickled to play with Marissa too.

One of the things I love about Caleb, and the thing that he reminds me to do, is to find joy in the smallest events in life. Caleb has a number of rattles and small stuffed animals and he gets so excited whenever he sees them. He already loves to play and it is such a joy to watch him play. You can look at him in this picture and just see how excited he is to have his alligator rattle and his little dog. Caleb has no clue that the economy is in the tank right now. He just goes about his business eating, sleeping and playing and finding joy in all those things. He reminds me that I need to put the cares of the world to the side and just enjoy all the blessings I have.

Tonight, Caleb, Mom, Granddaddy and Whatshername picked me up from work so we could go eat at a German restaurant we discovered on Miami Beach. Granddaddy's a big fan of
German sausages, so whenever we come across a restaurant, we take him to try it out. The restaurant is located on the Lincoln Road Mall which is a street that has been blocked off to be a pedestrian roadway. The street is filled with shops, restaurants and clubs and is a popular place to visit. All of the restaurants have large outdoor seating areas and we sat outside.

Since have started feeding Caleb solid foods and are using the high chair, we have started requesting high chairs at restaurants. The high chair at the German restaurant did not have seat belts, so Granddaddy was keeping an eye on Caleb to keep him from falling out of the chair. Of course, Granddaddy's arm provided Caleb with a distraction and he was glad to have something to chew.

After dinner, we wandered around the mall for a little while. We found a store called Genius Jones which is a really cool store for kids. They had lots of really interesting and creative wooden toys some of which were really interesting to Caleb. We will definitely have to go back and visit. At one end of the mall, we saw a fountain and Granddaddy put Caleb's feet in. Caleb usually likes water, but he didn't seem too thrilled with the fountain. If you look carefully at the background, you can see half of another child. I didn't notice him, but his mother told us that he saw us taking pictures and he wanted to be in the picture. I'm sure Caleb will be like that. He recognizes the camera and he is already learning to ham it up when he sees the camera. It's making it harder to get candid shots of Caleb.

We stopped for some ice cream, but Caleb was starting to get cranky, so we decided to call it a night and head home. We were all a little tired. But once we got in the car, Caleb livened up and entertained Mom and Whatshername in the backseat. We have noticed that Caleb gets upset if he is overstimulated. He does fine for a while, but sometimes, in a loud restaurant or similar place, he grows tired of all the noise and once we remove him from the situation, he becomes content again. Lincoln Road is a popular nightspot and some of the bars and clubs were starting to play loud music, the crowd was growing and Caleb decided he had had enough. I guess he really is just like us. Sometimes he is up for a party and sometimes he wants to be a homebody and have a quiet evening with just us.