Since Caleb has started grabbing things, Mom has been anxiously waiting for Caleb to reach out and grab a toy that is in front of him. He can grab on to things pretty well actually. But he still does not have enough control or coordination to actual reach out to and object and intentionally grab it. But if he accidentally bumps it, he can grab it. Mom was playing with a rattle with Caleb yesterday and he did grab it with a strong enough grip that Mom was able to let go of the rattle and Caleb held on to it. This is a neat accomplishment for the kid, but I kind of feel bad for him because it only means that Mom will be sticking toys in his face more often trying to get him to do it again.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Grabby
Friday, July 11, 2008
Since Caleb has started grabbing things, Mom has been anxiously waiting for Caleb to reach out and grab a toy that is in front of him. He can grab on to things pretty well actually. But he still does not have enough control or coordination to actual reach out to and object and intentionally grab it. But if he accidentally bumps it, he can grab it. Mom was playing with a rattle with Caleb yesterday and he did grab it with a strong enough grip that Mom was able to let go of the rattle and Caleb held on to it. This is a neat accomplishment for the kid, but I kind of feel bad for him because it only means that Mom will be sticking toys in his face more often trying to get him to do it again.
Since Caleb has started grabbing things, Mom has been anxiously waiting for Caleb to reach out and grab a toy that is in front of him. He can grab on to things pretty well actually. But he still does not have enough control or coordination to actual reach out to and object and intentionally grab it. But if he accidentally bumps it, he can grab it. Mom was playing with a rattle with Caleb yesterday and he did grab it with a strong enough grip that Mom was able to let go of the rattle and Caleb held on to it. This is a neat accomplishment for the kid, but I kind of feel bad for him because it only means that Mom will be sticking toys in his face more often trying to get him to do it again.
Crocodile Tears
Thursday, July 10, 2008
One of the things Mom had read about babies is that they do not have tears the first few months of their life, but they start forming tears around the third month. We've been watching for that first tear for a few weeks now. Mom saw Caleb shed a tear early on in Columbia. I didn't see it, so it became a running joke for me to argue that Caleb was not crying tears yet. Whatshername saw the tear and always took Mom's side. Because he is so tired still, Caleb has been crying a lot since we got back from Tennessee. He was crying when I got home from work on Thursday, so I took him while Mom finished fixing dinner. That is most definitely a tear on top of Caleb's cheek and as far as I am concerned, it is his first tear (due to the fact that it is the first one we can document).
One of the things Mom had read about babies is that they do not have tears the first few months of their life, but they start forming tears around the third month. We've been watching for that first tear for a few weeks now. Mom saw Caleb shed a tear early on in Columbia. I didn't see it, so it became a running joke for me to argue that Caleb was not crying tears yet. Whatshername saw the tear and always took Mom's side. Because he is so tired still, Caleb has been crying a lot since we got back from Tennessee. He was crying when I got home from work on Thursday, so I took him while Mom finished fixing dinner. That is most definitely a tear on top of Caleb's cheek and as far as I am concerned, it is his first tear (due to the fact that it is the first one we can document).
Cranky
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Caleb's Uncle S and Auntie M got Caleb this onesie. Mom and Caleb stayed home in an effort to recuperate from the trip. Mom emailed this picture to me in the middle of the day. This pretty much sums up Caleb's mood all day Wednesday.
Caleb did not sleep well Tuesday night. Since we returned from Columbia, he has decided he does not want to sleep in the crib. Caleb did not sleep through the night most nights in Tennessee and Mom slept with him most nights at least part of the night. I guess he expects that to be part of the routine now. That is something we are going to have to work on once return from New Mexico next week.
Caleb's Uncle S and Auntie M got Caleb this onesie. Mom and Caleb stayed home in an effort to recuperate from the trip. Mom emailed this picture to me in the middle of the day. This pretty much sums up Caleb's mood all day Wednesday.Caleb did not sleep well Tuesday night. Since we returned from Columbia, he has decided he does not want to sleep in the crib. Caleb did not sleep through the night most nights in Tennessee and Mom slept with him most nights at least part of the night. I guess he expects that to be part of the routine now. That is something we are going to have to work on once return from New Mexico next week.
Back to the Skies
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
On his last morning in Columbia, Granddaddy and Whatshername got to enjoy some more early morning bed time with Caleb. Shortly after, we had to pack the bags and get ready to go home.
Granddaddy really enjoys playing with Caleb. He saw it as his challenge to see where he could get Caleb to stand. He got Caleb standing in his recliner. He also got Caleb to stand on Mom and Dad's bed. In the second picture Caleb is actually on a stack of about three pillows so he is having to stand and lean on the pillows more than he is laying on them.
Our flight back to Fort Lauderdale was a direct flight so we did not have to worry about a layover. But the Nashville airport made up for that. Southwest was extremely busy and we had to stand in a really long line to check in and we had stand in a long line for security. Once we got through that gauntlet, the flight was really full. We boarded fairly early and we headed straight to the back of the plane hoping to have a row to ourselves again. Unfortunately that did not happen. Caleb did great again. However, being packed into the row made this flight a little more difficult than the flight to Tennessee. Mom said this flight was actually more exhausting. By the time we got to our house, we were all ready for bed, or so we thought.
On his last morning in Columbia, Granddaddy and Whatshername got to enjoy some more early morning bed time with Caleb. Shortly after, we had to pack the bags and get ready to go home.
Granddaddy really enjoys playing with Caleb. He saw it as his challenge to see where he could get Caleb to stand. He got Caleb standing in his recliner. He also got Caleb to stand on Mom and Dad's bed. In the second picture Caleb is actually on a stack of about three pillows so he is having to stand and lean on the pillows more than he is laying on them.
Our flight back to Fort Lauderdale was a direct flight so we did not have to worry about a layover. But the Nashville airport made up for that. Southwest was extremely busy and we had to stand in a really long line to check in and we had stand in a long line for security. Once we got through that gauntlet, the flight was really full. We boarded fairly early and we headed straight to the back of the plane hoping to have a row to ourselves again. Unfortunately that did not happen. Caleb did great again. However, being packed into the row made this flight a little more difficult than the flight to Tennessee. Mom said this flight was actually more exhausting. By the time we got to our house, we were all ready for bed, or so we thought.
Farewells
Monday, July 7, 2008
This was a day for everyone to start saying goodbye to Caleb. On Sunday, we had decided that the great-grandparents had not had enough one on one time with Caleb, so we invited 
them over on Monday for a great-grandparents only lunch. Caleb got a lot of quality time with his great-granparents, especially his great-grandmothers on Monday.
While we were at the lectureship, we picked some things up at the campus bookstore. One of the things we got was Caleb's first Lipscomb outfit. I guess it's never too early to start building up school spirit for the future alma mater. ;)
Monday evening, one of Granddaddy's aunts came over to see Caleb. As busy as we were, most of the people Caleb met were on Whatshername's side of the family and family friends. It was nice that a few relatives from Granddaddy's side of the family also got to meet Caleb.
This was a day for everyone to start saying goodbye to Caleb. On Sunday, we had decided that the great-grandparents had not had enough one on one time with Caleb, so we invited 
them over on Monday for a great-grandparents only lunch. Caleb got a lot of quality time with his great-granparents, especially his great-grandmothers on Monday.While we were at the lectureship, we picked some things up at the campus bookstore. One of the things we got was Caleb's first Lipscomb outfit. I guess it's never too early to start building up school spirit for the future alma mater. ;)
Monday evening, one of Granddaddy's aunts came over to see Caleb. As busy as we were, most of the people Caleb met were on Whatshername's side of the family and family friends. It was nice that a few relatives from Granddaddy's side of the family also got to meet Caleb.
Sabbath
Sunday, July 6, 208
We got up and went to church Sunday morning and then went to lunch with Uncle S and Auntie M. After lunch, Sunday was a day of recuperation for Caleb. He slept most of the afternoon. I think we all wanted to.
Whatshername and I agreed and came to the conclusion that one of the best places to hang out with Caleb was in the rocking chair out on the back porch. Various people spent quite a bit of time with Caleb in one of those rockcing chairs. As you can see from the
second picture, however, Caleb would have slept just about anywhere in any position on Sunday afternoon.
We headed back to church and then went up to see Uncle S and Auntie M one last time. Auntie M is a nurse and works in Nashville, so when she has a shift, she goes to bed early. She worked on both Monday and Tuesday, so the Sunday night visit would be her last chance to spend time with Caleb. After that, we headed over to see one last Aunt and Uncle who did Caleb did not meet on Saturday.
We got up and went to church Sunday morning and then went to lunch with Uncle S and Auntie M. After lunch, Sunday was a day of recuperation for Caleb. He slept most of the afternoon. I think we all wanted to.Whatshername and I agreed and came to the conclusion that one of the best places to hang out with Caleb was in the rocking chair out on the back porch. Various people spent quite a bit of time with Caleb in one of those rockcing chairs. As you can see from the
second picture, however, Caleb would have slept just about anywhere in any position on Sunday afternoon.We headed back to church and then went up to see Uncle S and Auntie M one last time. Auntie M is a nurse and works in Nashville, so when she has a shift, she goes to bed early. She worked on both Monday and Tuesday, so the Sunday night visit would be her last chance to spend time with Caleb. After that, we headed over to see one last Aunt and Uncle who did Caleb did not meet on Saturday.
Lots! Of! Family!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Whatshername's students bought her a pack 'n play before Caleb was born and that is where Caleb slept (or at least that was the intention...not sure how much he actually slept in the pack 'n play) while at her house. It's always funny to walk into a room knowing you laid Caleb down longways and find hime laying across the bed.
As a fundraiser for the fire department, Granddaddy had bought a session with an Olan Mills photographer and the session was Saturday morning. All seven of us went to have our picture taken. The photographer had this chair in the studio. Whoever had Caleb at the time stuck him in the chair. I got this picture on my camera, but there was a hand sticking through the chair handle propping Caleb up. Uncle S got this particular picture with his iPhone and mailed it to me later in the day.
This was probably this busyest day of all and the hardest for Caleb. Because Mom's birthday falls on a holiday, everyone has the day off and her family always has a big celebration for her. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all came over. We all had a good time eating and laughing with one another. Caleb spent a lot of time on the white quilt entertaining various people. In this particualr picture, five people are hovering over Caleb and three of them (including his Mom) are sticking cameras in his face. Granddaddy was fond of saying throughout the week that Caleb had never seen a camera flash before, or something along those lines (Granddaddy's a bit of a smart alec). Whatshername spent much of the day discussing with anyone who would listen what Caleb should call her. As you can see no consensus was reached and she is still Whatshername. (Quite frankly, I think she's already stuck with it.) As fun as this day was, this was probably the day that really took it out of Caleb. We had about 20 people at the house all wanting Caleb time. The result was that if he did get naps, they were short and not that restful.
On our way home from the photo session, Mom and I stopped and I got a nice big package of fireworks which is one of our traditions whenever we are in Tennessee for Mom's birthday. Once it got dark, we went out and shot off fireworks for about half an hour. Mom said tha Caleb was alert the whole time, was not bothered by the noise and actually seemed to be watching the light as they exploded.
Whatshername's students bought her a pack 'n play before Caleb was born and that is where Caleb slept (or at least that was the intention...not sure how much he actually slept in the pack 'n play) while at her house. It's always funny to walk into a room knowing you laid Caleb down longways and find hime laying across the bed.
As a fundraiser for the fire department, Granddaddy had bought a session with an Olan Mills photographer and the session was Saturday morning. All seven of us went to have our picture taken. The photographer had this chair in the studio. Whoever had Caleb at the time stuck him in the chair. I got this picture on my camera, but there was a hand sticking through the chair handle propping Caleb up. Uncle S got this particular picture with his iPhone and mailed it to me later in the day.
This was probably this busyest day of all and the hardest for Caleb. Because Mom's birthday falls on a holiday, everyone has the day off and her family always has a big celebration for her. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all came over. We all had a good time eating and laughing with one another. Caleb spent a lot of time on the white quilt entertaining various people. In this particualr picture, five people are hovering over Caleb and three of them (including his Mom) are sticking cameras in his face. Granddaddy was fond of saying throughout the week that Caleb had never seen a camera flash before, or something along those lines (Granddaddy's a bit of a smart alec). Whatshername spent much of the day discussing with anyone who would listen what Caleb should call her. As you can see no consensus was reached and she is still Whatshername. (Quite frankly, I think she's already stuck with it.) As fun as this day was, this was probably the day that really took it out of Caleb. We had about 20 people at the house all wanting Caleb time. The result was that if he did get naps, they were short and not that restful.On our way home from the photo session, Mom and I stopped and I got a nice big package of fireworks which is one of our traditions whenever we are in Tennessee for Mom's birthday. Once it got dark, we went out and shot off fireworks for about half an hour. Mom said tha Caleb was alert the whole time, was not bothered by the noise and actually seemed to be watching the light as they exploded.
Happy Birthdays All Around
Friday, July 4, 2008
On Friday, we contributed to Caleb's growing exhaustion by heading up to Nashville to spend the day at Summer Celebration, Lipscomb's annual lectureship. This day ended up being kind of touch for Caleb. We would go to a class and he would fall asleep, but it wasn't long before we were off to another class and he would wake up again. He kept trying to take naps, but he was never able to really settle in for a good long nap.
For lunch, we decided to go get some authentic southern comfort food, so we headed to Monell's, one of our favorite places to eat when we lived in Nashville. July 4, is also Mom's birthday (it was her 30th, so it was an important one...and now I'm sure I'll be sleeping on the couch for revealing that fact once Mom reads this), so we took a birthday picture outside the restaurant. Unfortunately, the sun was bright that afternoon and with Caleb's fair skin, the light almost washed him out.
We headed back to campus for the afternoon class sessions. Whatshername came up after the last class and met us for the evening activities. We went for a drive around the old neighborhood then went back to campus for some food. After the keynote speaker, we got to enjoy an Acappella concert and some fireworks. The concert was kind of loud, so Mom passed the Boppy sling and Caleb to Whatshername and she headed to a different part of campus. When the fireworks started going off, Whatshername covered Caleb's ears and she said he did not wake up once during the fireworks. After the show, we climbed in the car for the journey back to Columbia and we all headed to bed pretty soon after we got to the house.
On Friday, we contributed to Caleb's growing exhaustion by heading up to Nashville to spend the day at Summer Celebration, Lipscomb's annual lectureship. This day ended up being kind of touch for Caleb. We would go to a class and he would fall asleep, but it wasn't long before we were off to another class and he would wake up again. He kept trying to take naps, but he was never able to really settle in for a good long nap. For lunch, we decided to go get some authentic southern comfort food, so we headed to Monell's, one of our favorite places to eat when we lived in Nashville. July 4, is also Mom's birthday (it was her 30th, so it was an important one...and now I'm sure I'll be sleeping on the couch for revealing that fact once Mom reads this), so we took a birthday picture outside the restaurant. Unfortunately, the sun was bright that afternoon and with Caleb's fair skin, the light almost washed him out.
We headed back to campus for the afternoon class sessions. Whatshername came up after the last class and met us for the evening activities. We went for a drive around the old neighborhood then went back to campus for some food. After the keynote speaker, we got to enjoy an Acappella concert and some fireworks. The concert was kind of loud, so Mom passed the Boppy sling and Caleb to Whatshername and she headed to a different part of campus. When the fireworks started going off, Whatshername covered Caleb's ears and she said he did not wake up once during the fireworks. After the show, we climbed in the car for the journey back to Columbia and we all headed to bed pretty soon after we got to the house.
More Introductions
Thursday, July 3, 2008
In some ways, Thursday was not as busy as Wednesday because it Caleb did not see as many people, but it was more hectic and tiring because we spent more time in the car. After lunch, we loaded up and headed down to Summertown, TN so that Caleb could meet his MawMaw and PawPaw, Mom's maternal great-grandparents. He's not the first on this side, but it's been a while since there's been a new baby, so it was still pretty exciting. When we arrived, MawMaw and PawPaw did not even let us get the house before they had Caleb in their arms. Once we got inside, out came the white quilt and Caleb again peformed for quite an audience.
Before we headed back to Columbia, Mom's Aunt AP came over with another of Mom's cousins to see Caleb. Mom comes from a close family and I have always looked forward to sharing our children with them. I have seen how other babies are received and I knew Caleb would be treated the same. Knowing that everyone would be thrilled to see him, I've been anxious to see his reception. AP took him into her arms and it wasn't long before she had coaxed Caleb to sleep and cuddled with him.
After our visit in Summertown, we hurried home for dinner. Granddaddy had bought some barbecue from a friend of his and we were all hungry and anxious to get home and try it. Uncle S and Auntie M came over for dinner and to spend some more time with Caleb. Everyone in Mom's family loves Caleb and they are all happy for us. But for some reason, I have been really surprised at the reception Caleb has received from his Uncle S and Auntie M. I have really enjoyed seeing their excitement over Caleb and the love they have for him. I enjoyed every opportunity we had for them to see Caleb because they seem to have so much joy over him.
We are really working on strengthening Caleb's legs and one of the most fun ways to play with him is to support him while he stands. While they were over at the house, Uncle S and Auntie M spent most of their time on the ground playing with Caleb. In this picture, Auntie M is holding Caleb.
In some ways, Thursday was not as busy as Wednesday because it Caleb did not see as many people, but it was more hectic and tiring because we spent more time in the car. After lunch, we loaded up and headed down to Summertown, TN so that Caleb could meet his MawMaw and PawPaw, Mom's maternal great-grandparents. He's not the first on this side, but it's been a while since there's been a new baby, so it was still pretty exciting. When we arrived, MawMaw and PawPaw did not even let us get the house before they had Caleb in their arms. Once we got inside, out came the white quilt and Caleb again peformed for quite an audience. 
Before we headed back to Columbia, Mom's Aunt AP came over with another of Mom's cousins to see Caleb. Mom comes from a close family and I have always looked forward to sharing our children with them. I have seen how other babies are received and I knew Caleb would be treated the same. Knowing that everyone would be thrilled to see him, I've been anxious to see his reception. AP took him into her arms and it wasn't long before she had coaxed Caleb to sleep and cuddled with him.
After our visit in Summertown, we hurried home for dinner. Granddaddy had bought some barbecue from a friend of his and we were all hungry and anxious to get home and try it. Uncle S and Auntie M came over for dinner and to spend some more time with Caleb. Everyone in Mom's family loves Caleb and they are all happy for us. But for some reason, I have been really surprised at the reception Caleb has received from his Uncle S and Auntie M. I have really enjoyed seeing their excitement over Caleb and the love they have for him. I enjoyed every opportunity we had for them to see Caleb because they seem to have so much joy over him.We are really working on strengthening Caleb's legs and one of the most fun ways to play with him is to support him while he stands. While they were over at the house, Uncle S and Auntie M spent most of their time on the ground playing with Caleb. In this picture, Auntie M is holding Caleb.
Introductions
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Caleb has grown talkative recently. TuTu kept asking me whether Caleb was cooing yet. I kept saying that he gurgled and made other sounds, but I wasn't sure what she meant by "cooing." She said I would know when he started doing. Well, he's been cooing for a few weeks now. We've tried to call grandparents and others when he gets really talkative so they could have the opportunity to hear it. But hearing it over the phone just isn't the same.
One of Caleb's most talkative times is early in the morning right after he wakes up (assuming he had a good night's sleep). On Wednesday morning, Caleb woke up in a good mood, so Mom got him and took him into Granddaddy and Whatshername's bedroom. They got to play with him and hear him talk and see him kick and wiggle. Because it was so early in the morning (Caleb gets up around 6:30 here, so being an hour earlier in Tennessee, it was about 5:30 A.M...as Whatshername said, she didn't even realize there was a 5:30 A.M.), Mom and Caleb ended up taking a nap together before we really got our day started.
Whatshername had been given some baby supplies to keep at her house, but she does not have some larger items that would be impractical to buy because of the rarity they are used. Wednesday is one of Caleb's normal bathdays and one of the items Whatshername does not have is a child tub. So Mom and Caleb took a bath together. Mom passed Caleb off to me to dry him off while she finished her bath. Caleb has not decided whether he likes bath time or not, but he didn't like being dried off after this bath.
After we were all cleaned up, we headed out and picked up Uncle S for lunch. After lunch, we headed over to some long time friends of Granddaddy and Whatshername for the first of many introductions Caleb would have during the week.
We headed back home so that Mom's Granddaddy and Grandmama could come over to see Caleb for the first time. Caleb is their first great-grandchild and they were clearly thrilled to see him. In addition to Caleb's great-grandparents, one of Mom's cousins came over with her boyfriend. This would be the first of many times in which Caleb was in the middle of a huddle of adults. Throughout the week, if you wanted to find Caleb, all you had to do was find the circle of adults looking at the ground and Caleb would be at the center of the circle. In ths picture, Caleb rests in his Great-Grandmama's arms while Great-Granddaddy reaches in to touch him.
This white quilt became by far the most valuable piece of fabric and Granddaddy and Whatshername's house. Any time Caleb was laying on the ground, which was often, he was on this quilt. This quilt, along with Caleb was often part of the center of attention along with Caleb. Caleb is reaching up an grabbing his Great-Granddaddy's finger.
On Wednesday night, we headed to church so that Granddaddy and Whatshername could show off. Granddaddy carried Caleb into the building and through the course of the evening, Caleb met a lot of people, many who have known Mom since she was Caleb's age.
After the service, we went to Uncle S and Auntie M's house since Auntie M didn't get to see Caleb earlier in the day. This is where we first found out what toll the trip was going to take on Caleb. He was clearly tired by the end of the day and over tired. He cried for quite some time and we all took turns trying to soothe him. It seemed that noone was really successful, but he did drift off to sleep at some point, though it is hard to pinpoint when.
Caleb has grown talkative recently. TuTu kept asking me whether Caleb was cooing yet. I kept saying that he gurgled and made other sounds, but I wasn't sure what she meant by "cooing." She said I would know when he started doing. Well, he's been cooing for a few weeks now. We've tried to call grandparents and others when he gets really talkative so they could have the opportunity to hear it. But hearing it over the phone just isn't the same.One of Caleb's most talkative times is early in the morning right after he wakes up (assuming he had a good night's sleep). On Wednesday morning, Caleb woke up in a good mood, so Mom got him and took him into Granddaddy and Whatshername's bedroom. They got to play with him and hear him talk and see him kick and wiggle. Because it was so early in the morning (Caleb gets up around 6:30 here, so being an hour earlier in Tennessee, it was about 5:30 A.M...as Whatshername said, she didn't even realize there was a 5:30 A.M.), Mom and Caleb ended up taking a nap together before we really got our day started.
Whatshername had been given some baby supplies to keep at her house, but she does not have some larger items that would be impractical to buy because of the rarity they are used. Wednesday is one of Caleb's normal bathdays and one of the items Whatshername does not have is a child tub. So Mom and Caleb took a bath together. Mom passed Caleb off to me to dry him off while she finished her bath. Caleb has not decided whether he likes bath time or not, but he didn't like being dried off after this bath.After we were all cleaned up, we headed out and picked up Uncle S for lunch. After lunch, we headed over to some long time friends of Granddaddy and Whatshername for the first of many introductions Caleb would have during the week.
We headed back home so that Mom's Granddaddy and Grandmama could come over to see Caleb for the first time. Caleb is their first great-grandchild and they were clearly thrilled to see him. In addition to Caleb's great-grandparents, one of Mom's cousins came over with her boyfriend. This would be the first of many times in which Caleb was in the middle of a huddle of adults. Throughout the week, if you wanted to find Caleb, all you had to do was find the circle of adults looking at the ground and Caleb would be at the center of the circle. In ths picture, Caleb rests in his Great-Grandmama's arms while Great-Granddaddy reaches in to touch him.
This white quilt became by far the most valuable piece of fabric and Granddaddy and Whatshername's house. Any time Caleb was laying on the ground, which was often, he was on this quilt. This quilt, along with Caleb was often part of the center of attention along with Caleb. Caleb is reaching up an grabbing his Great-Granddaddy's finger.On Wednesday night, we headed to church so that Granddaddy and Whatshername could show off. Granddaddy carried Caleb into the building and through the course of the evening, Caleb met a lot of people, many who have known Mom since she was Caleb's age.
After the service, we went to Uncle S and Auntie M's house since Auntie M didn't get to see Caleb earlier in the day. This is where we first found out what toll the trip was going to take on Caleb. He was clearly tired by the end of the day and over tired. He cried for quite some time and we all took turns trying to soothe him. It seemed that noone was really successful, but he did drift off to sleep at some point, though it is hard to pinpoint when.
The Adventure Begins
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Mom took the day off on Tuesday to finish preparing for our trip to Tennessee. Mom did the final packing, tidied up around the house and left out some things for the cat. Mom uses the Boppy pillow to encourage Caleb to get some tummy time when she works in the bedroom. If you look at this picture closely, you'll see that Mom captured a trail of drool from Caleb's lower lip to the pillow.
Mom packed the car by herself, then packed up Caleb and headed toward my office in the afternoon to pick me up and head to the airport. Other than the drive to Naples for my conference in June, we have not done any extended travelling with Caleb, so we were feeling apprehensive about our flight to Nashville. Mom picked me up about three hours before our flight because we wanted to have a full two hours to get checked in and through security.
Our journey did not get off to a good start. There is normally heavy traffic heading out of downtown Miami in the evening, but I didn't expect extremely heavy traffic as early as we were leaving, so we were shocked to be sitting on the interestate nearly at a dead standstill. What should have been a 40-50 minute drive to the Fort Lauderdale airport ended up being well over an hour. To make matters worse, Caleb decided he was going to cry, so we were sitting in traffic with a screaming baby. I tried giving him a pacifier, but he kept spitting it out. After a while, he finally cried himself to sleep and just about made it all the way to the airport.
Things picked up once we got to the airport. I can tell you that an 8:00 P.M. flight from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa on a Tuesday night is a good time to travel. We were able to walk straight to the ticket counter to check our bags and get a boarding pass for Caleb. There was also no line to get through security, so the first time we did security with Caleb was pretty stress free. Our luck had not completely improved as our plane out of Fort Lauderdale was extremely delayed. Fortunately, Southwest held our plane out of Tampa and we ended up getting to Nashville about an hour late.
Caleb is starting to hold on to objects. We captured this picture of him playing with his burp cloth before he started to drift off to sleep.
Caleb did better with the flights than I expected. Mom had changed Caleb into his pajamas while we waited in the terminal and was he ready to sleep by the time we boarded the plane. He ended up in my lap for our initial takeoff. We used one of his blankets to shield his eyes from the lights in the cabin. I think Caleb would have slept through whole flight, but I tried to uncross my legs when my foot fell asleep and that was enough to rouse him. He fussed a little bit and Mom held him during the landing.
The flight from Tampa to Nashville, so Southwest held the plane for us. Becuase they were waiting on us, we had to make a made dash through the Tampa terminal. Making a made dash through a terminal is not easy with a fourteen pound baby in a baby carrier bouncing of your leg. Since it was the last flight on an off night, the plane was not crowded at all. We made our way to the back of the plane and settled in to our seats. We were able to get a row to ourselves and while we were in the air, Caleb laid across the middle seat between us. Caleb started getting cranky on this flight, but I think it was due more to tiredness than the fact we were on a plane. Caleb fell asleep toward the end of the flight and slept through the landing.
I carried Caleb through the terminal and we found Granddaddy and Whatshername waiting for us as close as they could get without security tackling and arresting them. Since Caleb was asleep, we gathered our bags and headed for the car. Other than a stop to grab some dinner, we headed straight to Columbia. Due to the lateness of the hour, we weren't up for long before we headed to bed for the last good night's rest we would get from that point until now.
P.S. Our travel day happened to coincied with Caleb's 3-month birthday. As Granddaddy put it, Caleb was 1/4 that day.
Mom took the day off on Tuesday to finish preparing for our trip to Tennessee. Mom did the final packing, tidied up around the house and left out some things for the cat. Mom uses the Boppy pillow to encourage Caleb to get some tummy time when she works in the bedroom. If you look at this picture closely, you'll see that Mom captured a trail of drool from Caleb's lower lip to the pillow.Mom packed the car by herself, then packed up Caleb and headed toward my office in the afternoon to pick me up and head to the airport. Other than the drive to Naples for my conference in June, we have not done any extended travelling with Caleb, so we were feeling apprehensive about our flight to Nashville. Mom picked me up about three hours before our flight because we wanted to have a full two hours to get checked in and through security.
Our journey did not get off to a good start. There is normally heavy traffic heading out of downtown Miami in the evening, but I didn't expect extremely heavy traffic as early as we were leaving, so we were shocked to be sitting on the interestate nearly at a dead standstill. What should have been a 40-50 minute drive to the Fort Lauderdale airport ended up being well over an hour. To make matters worse, Caleb decided he was going to cry, so we were sitting in traffic with a screaming baby. I tried giving him a pacifier, but he kept spitting it out. After a while, he finally cried himself to sleep and just about made it all the way to the airport.
Things picked up once we got to the airport. I can tell you that an 8:00 P.M. flight from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa on a Tuesday night is a good time to travel. We were able to walk straight to the ticket counter to check our bags and get a boarding pass for Caleb. There was also no line to get through security, so the first time we did security with Caleb was pretty stress free. Our luck had not completely improved as our plane out of Fort Lauderdale was extremely delayed. Fortunately, Southwest held our plane out of Tampa and we ended up getting to Nashville about an hour late.Caleb is starting to hold on to objects. We captured this picture of him playing with his burp cloth before he started to drift off to sleep.
Caleb did better with the flights than I expected. Mom had changed Caleb into his pajamas while we waited in the terminal and was he ready to sleep by the time we boarded the plane. He ended up in my lap for our initial takeoff. We used one of his blankets to shield his eyes from the lights in the cabin. I think Caleb would have slept through whole flight, but I tried to uncross my legs when my foot fell asleep and that was enough to rouse him. He fussed a little bit and Mom held him during the landing.
The flight from Tampa to Nashville, so Southwest held the plane for us. Becuase they were waiting on us, we had to make a made dash through the Tampa terminal. Making a made dash through a terminal is not easy with a fourteen pound baby in a baby carrier bouncing of your leg. Since it was the last flight on an off night, the plane was not crowded at all. We made our way to the back of the plane and settled in to our seats. We were able to get a row to ourselves and while we were in the air, Caleb laid across the middle seat between us. Caleb started getting cranky on this flight, but I think it was due more to tiredness than the fact we were on a plane. Caleb fell asleep toward the end of the flight and slept through the landing.I carried Caleb through the terminal and we found Granddaddy and Whatshername waiting for us as close as they could get without security tackling and arresting them. Since Caleb was asleep, we gathered our bags and headed for the car. Other than a stop to grab some dinner, we headed straight to Columbia. Due to the lateness of the hour, we weren't up for long before we headed to bed for the last good night's rest we would get from that point until now.
P.S. Our travel day happened to coincied with Caleb's 3-month birthday. As Granddaddy put it, Caleb was 1/4 that day.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Patience
I'm really disappointed that I fell behind during our trip to Tennessee. I really intended to keep up with this on a daily basis, but that was before I ran into some difficulties during the trip (some of my own doing, some beyond my control). In addition to going to church tonight, I have classes to prepare for both Friday night and Saturday morning and Mom has a meeting tomorrow night that will require me to watch Caleb and likely keep me from focusing on my preparation. Rather than rushing to get a bunch of posts done while I am tired, I promise to update the last week and a half this Saturday when I have the time to really focus on the pictures and the posts. Bear with me and check back Sunday (or late Saturday) and there will mucho Caleb to look at and read about.
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