big guy

Today, Caleb is wearing his shirt that says "big guy" on the back. And while I suppose he really isn't that big, it's amazing how much he has changed in the past couple of months. Here is a little of what he's been up to:

~He has been talking more lately. Still hasn't added a ton of "real" words to his repertoire, but he's certainly experimenting with more and more different sounds. Some words he does now say: mama, dada, baby, owl, bye-bye, ball, eyebrow, and his new favorite: apple. He can also make animal noises for lions, tigers, monkeys, cats, and dogs (his versions of them anyway).

~Reading to him is getting more and more fun. He is interacting more with his books these days. For example, he likes to count objects in books (he points to each one while we count). And he can find and point out the things that we ask him to.

~He's up to seven teeth now and is currently cutting three more!

~He likes to dance, which for him means bending and unbending his knees so that he bops up and down.

~I noticed a few weeks ago that he seems to want to interact with other kids more these days instead of just playing alongside them. This can be good or bad, depending on the particular situation. :-)

~He can be the sweetest little guy ever. The thing that really gets me lately is that he is such a good snuggler (when he wants to be, of course). He snuggles us, he snuggles his stuffed animals (or random ones he finds in stores and play areas), he even snuggles people he barely knows. And he'll rub and pat our backs while he does it. It is adorable. Haven't gotten a good snuggle on camera, but here's a pic of him with his favorite stuffed animal...


~He can also be the most difficult little guy. He's working on mastering the art of temper tantrums and is pretty good at driving his mama crazy. He particularly dislikes being put into his car seat and lets me know that just about every time. His latest method of expressing his disapproval is by throwing his hands over his mouth in utter distress. Kinda like this:


He can be instantaneously delivered from his apparent distress if you say or do the right thing or if he is otherwise distracted. One moment he's screaming the next he's smiling.

~I guess you could describe him as fairly strong-willed. He knows what he wants and tries to do whatever it takes to get it. I can sense that the next couple of years are not going to be a breeze. :-)

~He has a ton of energy and I'm always somewhat perplexed when people describe him as mellow. He's a good kid though and I think maybe that's more what they're referring to. In any case, we feel very blessed to have such a generally happy and healthy little guy. He brings us so much joy and it is lots of fun to watch him grow and develop.