the fraze addition

Lilah's birth story

2011-12-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

As I think about Lilah's birth story, I often find myself comparing it to Caleb's. Going into her birth, I had hoped for an experience that was in some ways similar, but in many ways different from Caleb's. Caleb's birth was everything I'd hoped in terms of it being natural and having no complications. However, it wasn't exactly a positive experience for me. In fact, it was somewhat traumatic. When Caleb was born, I felt little joy. All I could think was, "I'm SO glad that is over!" The labor had sort of taken over me. I felt out of control...like it was all just happening to me and there wasn't much I could do but persevere through it. I am a determined kind of person...I don't really know how to give up. So I did it naturally as I'd planned and I survived it, but there was nothing positive about it. This time, I wanted that to be different. We'd read a book called The Joy of Natural Childbirth and I was hoping to apply some of the things I'd learned from it to have a more joyful childbirth experience. Here's how it all went down...

On December 12th, at around 9pm, my contractions began. I labored at home through the night, in bed but not getting a whole lot of sleep. It was strangely reminiscent of my first labor.

We planned to have Lilah at the Mountain Midwifery birth center, Colorado's only freestanding birth center, located about 30 minutes from where we now live. I'd had my 40 week appointment scheduled for the morning of the 13th, at 8:50am. So I'd decided to just go in for that appointment and see what the midwife thought about whether I should head over to the birth center. By the time we were heading there, my contractions were fairly regular, about every 5-6 minutes. At my appointment, the midwife said that we were welcome to head over to the birth center and get settled in a room, which we decided to do. I chose the "log room," the largest of the three rooms. We got our things out of the car and headed quickly back to the room. I was already having to really focus during contractions, and things continued to progress steadily.

My labor experience was already much different this time. I felt much more in control. I actually had something to help me through the contractions instead of just trying to endure them. I was much more present this time. I actually heard the music playing on my ipod. As I look back, I can remember pretty much everything, which was not the case with my first labor...it had all been a blur. Jason was a huge help. I didn't want him to leave my side for a second.

After a while, the midwife asked if I wanted to get in the tub. I was a little afraid to mess with what was working, but I was doing a lot of standing and walking around and my legs were pretty tired. So I decided to give the tub a shot. I didn't know how much longer I had, but I was thinking I would probably have the baby in there when the time came anyway. So I got in and spent the rest of my labor there. I don't know how long I pushed. It wasn't as long as I had with Caleb, but longer than I would have liked. Still, it was so nice to get to that point and know that I was almost done...that my baby would be there soon. And at 1:46pm, there she was! She was born in the water and immediately brought to my chest. I was overjoyed to be holding her in my arms. I was definitely thankful that the labor was over, but I was able to truly treasure the gift that the labor had brought.

Lilah and I got out of the tub and got settled in bed. She didn't leave my chest for over an hour. Jason cut the cord after about an hour. I really wasn't paying attention to the time at all, but at some point I got to take an herbal bath that the nurse had prepared for me. I relaxed in there for a while and Jason got to spend some time bonding with his new baby girl. After the bath, I got dressed and we got ready to head home. It took us a little while to get everything packed up, but at 6:something, we were in the car and ready to go. As we drove home, I marveled at how different I felt compared to several hours after Caleb's birth. There was no way I'd be in the car heading home that soon after Caleb was born. It also occurred to me as we drove that we'd been heading to the birth center that morning at around the same time Jason would be heading to work. And we were heading home at about the same time Jason would be heading home from work. But instead of a typical day of work, we'd gone and had a baby in that time. Pretty crazy.

As we arrived home to introduce Lilah to her big brother, I was tired, but filled with joy. So very different this time around. That morning I had left the house with a baby in my belly. That evening, we were back at home as a family of four, ready to start a new adventure.

Introducing...

2011-12-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Lilah Jane Fraze

Born on December 13, 2011 at 1:46pm

Weight: 6 lbs 14.5 oz

Length: 18.5 in

O Christmas tree

2011-12-06T14:35:00.004-07:00

This year we decided to try something new...we bought a permit to cut down a tree in the National Forest. So on Saturday morning, although we woke up to cold, snowy weather, we ventured out to find our tree! We knew that we'd end up with a tree a little more Charlie Brown-esque than if we went to a tree farm, but this was more fun...

Cutting down our tree...

All ready to go!

Our tree's new home...

Decorating away...

Tada!

maternity photo shoot

2011-11-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks Sarah Rush Photography!

my little goofball

2011-11-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

didn't think I'd ever blog again, did you?

2011-11-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

It has been a REALLY long time since I last blogged. I have thought about just skipping the lost time and starting fresh. But I feel guilty about missing all of the time that I did and couldn't bring myself to do that. So instead I'm going to try to play catch-up. I've been working on it for a little while now and hope to bombard the blog with old posts in the next couple of weeks. They may not be as interesting or thorough as they would have been if I'd done them sooner, but at least I'll have the memories all in one spot. Oh, and I'm going to date them around when they actually happened, so if you're interested in reading them, you might have to look back to find them. Enjoy!

caleb's new room!

2011-10-26T15:38:00.000-06:00

We finally finished Caleb's new room...at least enough to move him in there. We're still waiting on his dresser, which got damaged during shipping and had to be reordered. We haven't put up the wall decals because it's harder to find time to do that now that he's moved in there already. And I'd like to get a new lamp. Anyway, here's a photo of its current state. I'll try to post more once it's all done.

Caleb has done very well transitioning to sleeping in his new bed at night. Nap time is an entirely different story. One that I'd rather not go into at the moment. Hopefully in the next couple of months, he will be able to settle back into a routine now that we've made it through all of the big changes in the past few months. Then we'll see what happens when the next big change comes along...

fall fun 2011

2011-10-18T16:17:00.001-06:00

Last fall, I remember mourning the summer...not wanting it to end because I hadn't gotten to enjoy enough of the fun stuff that summer brings. But this year has been different. I've been loving fall! I think that part of the reason is that we're actually getting a decent fall this year. Sometimes around here it seems like summer lingers and then goes straight to winter. But not this year. I've been really enjoying the fall weather and the beautiful trees.

I've also been aware that the time I have left when it's just Caleb and me on the weekdays is running low. So we've been trying to fit in some fun things before it gets more complicated to do them.

At the end of September, we drove up to Longmont and went to Sunflower Farm. It's a super fun place for kids with all sorts of things to do like play in tree forts, feed animals, climb on tractors, swing on tire swings, play in sandboxes, ride bikes, and lots more! I have too many fun photos from the couple of hours we spent there to fit in a collage so here's a little slideshow...

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Children's Museum. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me because I really wanted it when Caleb was all decked out in firefighter gear and driving the fire engine.

Just today, we went to the Denver Zoo. Caleb had such a blast with his buddy Zeb. And I remembered the camera...

mini golf

2011-09-12T20:07:00.000-06:00

After we got back from Costa Rica, we thought it would be nice to do something special with Caleb. So we took him to play mini golf for the first time. He loved it! Here's my little golfer in action...

And here's how he felt about leaving...

Costa Rica trip

2011-09-10T12:08:00.000-06:00

Jason and I have taken anniversary trips each year since we got married. Usually by ourselves, although we did bring Caleb with us the year he was born since he was only a few months old. Most of them have just been long weekends and for the first three trips, we stayed in CO. For our fourth anniversary, we ventured out of the state and went to Taos, New Mexico. But we decided that maybe every five years, we could try to do something bigger. So this year, we actually left the country (for the first time together) and went to Costa Rica!

We were gone for a full week (including travel days). It was the longest we'd ever been away from Caleb. Jason's parents kindly took on the somewhat daunting task of watching him the entire time we were gone. He had a great time with them, and we enjoyed the peace and quiet. We missed him, of course, but also appreciated the freedom of traveling just the two of us. And I slept like a rock most of the trip, not having to worry about whether he was going to need me in the middle of the night.

We had an amazing time. We stayed at a really nice boutique hotel in Manuel Antonio. The hotel was located on its own nature reserve so we were surrounded by rainforest, but not a far drive from the beach. We got to go to the nearby National Park, spend some time at the beach, eat delicious food, go on a mangrove boat tour, and just relax at the hotel. Jason took LOTS of pictures. We tried to pare them down, but there are still quite a few. Enjoy!

caleb's first day of preschool

2011-09-02T12:07:00.000-06:00

Caleb started preschool at the end of August. The week before, we went to an orientation at his school and he liked it so much that he kept asking when he was going to get to go back. So the morning of his first day, he was pretty excited. And, except for one short phase, he's never had much trouble with us leaving him so I wasn't too worried about how he'd do.

What I wasn't expecting was that I would get emotional about it myself! I've never really been the type to mourn each passing milestone and wish my kid would stay a certain age forever. But I have to admit that when I was packing his lunch the night before his first day of school, it was a little tough. Granted, I'm pregnant...so perhaps I can chalk up some of my emotion to that. But really I just think it was more difficult for me than I expected it to be.

I was a little sad dropping him off on his first day, but once I got involved in doing the things I planned on getting done, I definitely enjoyed the time to myself. And when I picked Caleb up four hours later, he seemed to have had a great time. Here are a few pictures of our big boy ready to embark on a new adventure!

CT trip

2011-09-01T16:17:00.000-06:00

In August, we took a family trip to CT to visit my family and friends there. Since my parents are living in NC now, we don't make it to CT as often so it had been almost two years since our last visit! It was wonderful to be able to spend a little time catching up with relatives and friends. Some of them hadn't met Caleb at all, and many others hadn't seen him since he was about 14 months. But it didn't bother him one bit...he just tried to get everyone he met to play with him.

We were able to plan the trip so that I could be at a bridal shower for a good friend of mine who is getting married in October. So I even got to see more of my friends than I otherwise would have. And we got to get all of our kiddos together for the first time...

We also got to spend some time with my dad's side of the family and see my grandmother for the first time in almost two years. And then we got to see everyone on my mom's side of the family. Caleb had lots of fun with my aunts and uncles and cousins and his second cousins. And we really enjoyed getting to visit with everyone. It was a week well spent!

Here's a slideshow of family pics (they are mostly of my mom's side...apparently I mostly took pictures of kids):

It's a...

2011-08-15T20:07:00.000-06:00

GIRL!!! When I was pregnant with Caleb, we didn't find out in advance that we were having a boy. I really liked not finding out. But for some reason I felt differently this time. I was more curious. The first time around, it was just Jason and I having a baby. It didn't really matter at all if it was going to be a boy or a girl. This time, it seems different. It isn't just the two of us anymore. Now we are adding to our family. I wanted to know if Caleb was going to have a little brother or a little sister.

And I'll admit, the idea of another boy was a bit more appealing to me. Maybe it's mostly because I feel like I've learned the ropes with boys a bit. I can do boy. Now I have to learn how to do girl too. Maybe it's because I thought it would be fun for Caleb to have a little brother. Maybe it's partly because I'm not really a huge fan of pink or of baby girl clothes in general. I'm the rare breed that usually finds baby boy clothes cuter. And girl names are so much harder for us to figure out than boy names. When Caleb was born, we had two boy names to choose from and no girl names. Good thing he was a boy!

Despite all of that, I'm sure I'll love having a girl. I know that once she's here and as she grows, I will never have wanted it any other way. And Jason is definitely excited. Which is one of the biggest reasons I look forward to a girl...I'm excited to watch Jason be a daddy to a girl.

I was also excited to tell my parents. My dad in particular has been pushing for a granddaughter ever since I was pregnant with Caleb. He already had one grandson, so it was time for a granddaughter, right? Since then he's gotten two more grandsons instead. So it was fun to tell my parents that I had their first granddaughter in my belly!

Most of the time when I tell people that I'm having a girl, their response is something along the lines of, "Awww...how nice...one of each!" I find that response kind of funny. Is it part of the American Dream or something? Two kids...one of each gender? I'm sure that some just know that being able to experience both sons and daughters is a special thing. And I feel blessed to be able to have that experience. Plus I hear that baby girls tend to be easier...it's the teenage years that are harder. I could definitely deal with easier at the start...it's the down-the-road part that makes me a little nervous! But it's probably a little early to be thinking about that...

mom and dad's visit

2011-08-01T17:40:00.000-06:00

In July, my parents came out for a visit! It was wonderful to have them and so nice that they got to spend some time with Caleb while he's at the fun age that he is. They even got to be here for his third birthday!

While they were here, we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and Caleb had a blast feeding the giraffes and the birds, and riding the train and the carousel.

We also took a drive to the mountains and spent half a day up at Winter Park, where Caleb got his face painted for the first time!

We celebrated Caleb's birthday, and the next day we went to a Rockies game. It was unbearably hot, but we still had a good time.

Their visits are always a blast. Can't wait for the next one!!

caleb's 3rd birthday party

2011-07-23T20:44:00.000-06:00

Caleb's birthday party was on his actual birthday this year since it fell on a Saturday. We planned on having it at a park, and had to make a last-minute switch to a different park several days before. It was a little unnerving trying to figure out where to have it on such short notice, but it turned out to be perfect!! Caleb had chosen Thomas the Tank Engine as the theme of his party, and the park we ended up at has a miniature train that you can ride!

The night before his birthday, my parents, husband and I were busy assembling the cupcake train. I had found the idea online and was excited about it. I made the cupcakes and frosting from scratch so thankfully those were already done and we just had to frost them and put everything together. The finished product...

At the party the next day, the cupcake train was the topic of deep conversation among the kiddos.

We got to ride on the miniature train...

and the conductor even had everyone on the train sing "Happy Birthday" to Caleb!

We'd gotten train whistles as favors for all of the kids at the party, which I'm sure was appreciated by the other people on our train ride.

After some lunch, Caleb opened his gifts. I love his expressions in these photos...

And then he finally got to eat the cupcake that he'd had his eye on all day...

I was so glad that everything worked out so well. A fun party for a fun three-year-old!

caleb turns three!

2011-07-16T12:21:00.000-06:00

Dear Caleb,

On July 16th, you turned three years old. Here's a bit of what you're up to these days...

For months, when people have asked how old you are, you've been saying, "I'm two! On my next birthday, I'll be THREE! Then you'd tell them that your birthday was on July 16th. You like to keep people fully informed. Sometimes, when you leave the room to go throw something out, you say, "I'll be right back. You have nothing to worry about." That is usually true. It's the times when you say, "Mama, don't look at me," or "Mama, don't come in here," that I know I have to worry. You don't give me much credit, but I'm clever enough to know that whenever you say that, I should look or come in immediately and see what you're up to.

You tend to be very precise about things. You like using the word "actually," and it's pretty cute when you do. Other things you say a lot:

"Yeah...sure!"

"Good job!"

"You're right!"

You can be rather encouraging for a three-year-old.

You still like to play sports of all kinds. You like to read books and you like to dance. You like playing instruments too...especially the drums.

To be honest, I'm still working on this post months after you turned three, and it's tough to separate what you were up to then from what you're up to now. Not long after your third birthday, you developed a sudden interest in sword fighting. It seemed like an overnight transition. Now I have to look out for what you're choosing to use as a sword and how. You like to count and can count up to 100 with a little help. I don't think it'll be long before you're doing it all by yourself!

For a while after your birthday when people asked you how old you were, you would say, "I just turned THREE!" Now you just tell them that you're three. I guess three is old news now. I never used to wish that you would stay a certain age or stop growing up so quickly. I think that might be starting to change.

You love your dada and your time with him is often filled with fun and laughter. But for the most part, you're still a mama's boy. You also still like to snuggle us, and I treasure your sweet snuggles. I am so blessed to be your mama, my sweet angel. I love you with all my heart!

the next fraze addition...

2011-06-23T19:48:00.000-06:00

due December 10th!

Castlewood Canyon

2011-05-10T14:07:00.000-06:00

We have a state park pass that is about to expire so we decided to head to a nearby state park on Saturday to take advantage of it while we can. Just wanted to post a few pics from our adventures...

Easter egg hunt

2011-04-30T14:06:00.000-06:00

Caleb got to do his first Easter egg hunt this year. It was a beautiful and fairly hot morning. Here we are waiting for the start...

This is the square area that was roped off for Caleb's age group. It was filled with little toys and candy, including foil-wrapped chocolate that had been sitting in the hot sun for a while.

Caleb was a little overwhelmed by the chaos and not so crazy about the messiness. But he found some good things to put in his "Easter basket."

Caleb's chocolate-covered toes after the hunt.

Enjoying some of his loot...

weekend at the cabin

2011-03-25T13:49:00.000-06:00

Our friends, Nikki and Ryan, invited us to spend a weekend with them at their family's cabin in Leadville. They have two kids, Zeb and Jaya. Zeb is just a month and a half younger than Caleb and they are buddies!! It was so much fun to go up to the mountains and spend a couple of days at the cabin with them. Here's a little taste of our weekend...

Hiking to the cabin (It wasn't that far, but look at all that snow!):

The boys got to go ice fishing...

and Zeb caught his first fish!!

Caleb got to ride on a snowmobile, which he LOVED.

And there may have been a dance party or two...these boys both love to dance!

If you'd like to see for yourself...

little drummer boy

2011-01-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

It all started when we were at my sister's in Atlanta for Christmas. Caleb got to play his cousin's drums and loved them. My brother-in-law thought he showed promise and insisted they send us the other drum set that they had since they didn't need a second drum set and Caleb would clearly enjoy it. So they did just that. Here are a few pictures of how excited he was when we brought it down to give it to him...

And here are a couple of videos of what followed. The first is of Caleb's excitement as we opened up the box to put the drum set together. The second is of him actually playing. He wasn't a fan of the pedal, so he improvised...

Christmas in Atlanta

2011-01-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Atlanta for Christmas this year and meet our new nephew/cousin, Sebastian Oliver, who was born on November 30th.

Caleb and Nathaniel got in some good cousin time.

And it even snowed! So of course we headed outside for a snowball fight...

fresh photo shoot

2010-12-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

In November, we had the chance to get some professional family photos taken, in part inspired by the plan to send out Christmas cards, and in part just because it had been so long. We were only expecting to get 10 photos out of the deal, but we ended up with a whole cd full! Thanks Fresh Photography! Here are some of our favorites:

breck

2010-11-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

We got to spend part of a weekend up in Breckenridge (a mountain town in CO) in early November with Jodie (my childhood friend) and Dan (her husband). Of course, I don't have any pictures with them, but here are a few that I did get...

Caleb will hardly ever fall asleep in the car...especially when we're really hoping he does. But as we drove home from Breck he just couldn't fight it...

family resemblences

2010-11-09T19:24:00.007-07:00

When Caleb was born, almost everyone said he looked like Jason. These days, the usual comment is that he's a good combination of both of us. When we were visiting my parents back in September, we were looking at some pictures of me when I was a kid and couldn't help but notice how much Caleb looks like me in some of them. Here are a couple of favorites. I'll let you be the judge...

children's museum

2010-11-01T13:21:00.000-06:00

This was our second visit to the Children's museum. So fun. Check out my little bubble scientist...

And a few other random pics...

fall fun

2010-10-31T13:20:00.000-06:00

Just a few photos from the pumpkin festival that we went to, and one of Caleb in his Halloween costume.

trip to NC

2010-10-01T13:19:00.000-06:00

In September, we got to take a trip to NC to visit my parents for a week. My sister and her family also came to spend a few days with us. Time with my family is extra special because it doesn't happen that often these days. It was such a fun trip! (Note: you can click on the photos below to see them bigger.)

Caleb got to play in the ocean for the first time and loved it! He had fun jumping and splashing in the waves and playing in the sand...

We also got to go to the pool where Caleb got more comfortable in the water and tried out swimmies for the first time...

On one day, we took a ferry to a small island where we went to a cool aquarium...

We also just spent time hanging around my parents' house and entertaining ourselves there. Caleb enjoyed playing golf with the new golf set that MorMor and MorFar got him. He also managed to break two of the three golf clubs in the set by the time we left. He's not the gentlest of golfers...

After my sister's family arrived, Caleb had a blast with his cousin Nathaniel. It's so much fun to get the two of them together!

And we finished off the trip with dinner out on my parents' anniversary. It was nice of them to share their celebration with all of us and a fun way to spend our last night there...

birthday gifts: a video review

2010-07-26T14:18:00.004-06:00

Caleb got this cool dump truck from his relatives in Las Vegas. It was the very first present that he got to open on the morning of his birthday.

After nap on his birthday, we did a webcam with my parents (MorMor and MorFar to Caleb). He opened the presents that they got him, a football that makes sounds upon impact, and a tricycle. Here's a video of just how excited he got about the football. To this day, whenever he brings out the football, he makes it play music and runs around in circles. It's pretty funny. Here's a glimpse of his craziness during the webcam when he got the football:

And finally, Jason's parents got him a car racing toy that was the hit of his birthday party. Here's a video of some after-party car racing fun. He was laughing a lot, but by the time I got the camera on him, his laugh had become a little fake and exaggerated. Still funny though...

open gym

2010-07-26T13:58:00.004-06:00

Oftentimes after Jason gets home from work, Caleb will tell him about his day. It's really fun to listen to. I've been wanting to get a good video of it, but I rarely think to grab the camera. Here's one time I did get. It's not the best, but better than nothing. He's telling Jason about his time at the open gymnastics hour he went to at a nearby rec center.

talking on the phone

2010-07-26T11:08:00.004-06:00

In case you can't understand, he says, "Hi! How's it going?" "How's it going, Mama?" "I went to a bookstore." "Maybe next time."

lollipop!

2010-07-26T10:30:00.004-06:00

Caleb got his first ever lollipop after getting his hair cut a few weeks ago. He didn't even know what to do with it at first and I was tempted not to tell him. But then I decided that was a little cruel...that some day soon he'd see his friends sucking on lollipops and think, "Ohhhh, that's what you do with those...Mama didn't tell me!" So I gave in and told him. It was pretty adorable watching him taste it for the first time. He put in it his mouth and then had the cutest look of surprise and excitement on his face. I didn't think to video it at first, but I did get a little video while he was still enjoying the lollipop...

ABC's

2010-07-26T10:09:00.005-06:00

Caleb likes to sing. His latest favorites are Mary Had a Little Lamb and Happy Birthday. Ever since his birthday, he's been singing Happy Birthday (usually, but not always, to himself). We don't have either of those on video though. Instead, here he is singing his ABC's...

party time!

2010-07-21T21:56:00.000-06:00

The morning after Caleb's birthday, we had a little party for him at our place. It was a great time complete with fun friends, cool presents, sports ball cupcakes and lots of balloons! Here's a little taste of the fun:

caleb turns two

2010-07-21T21:54:00.008-06:00

Last Friday was Caleb's birthday. In the morning I took him to the Children's Museum of Denver. We hadn't been there before and it was great! First, Caleb got in for free since it was his birthday. And then he had tons of fun exploring the museum. He doesn't look that happy in a lot of the pictures, but he was having a great time. He was just serious about playing.

He got to be a chef...

a firefighter...

a veterinarian...

an artist...

and a bubble scientist!

And of course, he had lots of fun playing with the trains.

In the afternoon, we did a webcam with MorMor and MorFar and Caleb got some presents from them. He loved his new football that makes sounds upon impact...

and was pretty excited about his new tricycle too!

When Jason got home from work, we gave Caleb the kiddie pool we got him. The water was ice cold, but he just giggled whenever he sat down in it. It was pretty cute.

Who knew your kid's birthday could be just as fun as your own?

*For more pictures of the day, go to caleb's 2nd birthday*

caleb's first two years

2010-07-16T00:01:00.002-06:00

Happy 2nd birthday, my sweet boy! It has been so much fun watching you grow and develop. You continually amaze me and fill my heart with so much joy. Here's a little photo review of your first two years of life:

p.s. Sorry I let your hair get a little out of control at times.

month twenty four photos

2010-07-15T23:13:00.002-06:00

bedtime story w/ caleb and nathaniel

2010-07-15T12:51:00.003-06:00

from atlanta to colorado

2010-07-08T11:38:00.010-06:00

A week ago, my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew reached their final destination on the westward portion of their road trip...Colorado!! They arrived Thurs night and stayed until Tues morning. It had been over a year since we'd seen them last!! It was so great to get the cousins together again...especially now that they can actually play with each other. Here's a taste of the fun times we had:

We went to the Denver Zoo,

played in the fountains at the park,

had dinner with friends,

played by the river in Breckenridge,

and even made ice cream!

The boys also got to do everyday things together like taking baths and reading bedtime stories...

It was a wonderful weekend and we all had a really great time. The next two pictures show that well. This is Caleb with his Aunt Carrie in the middle of their visit:

This is Caleb with his Aunt Carrie the night before they left:

Granted, he was exhausted. But he definitely seemed to understand that they were leaving. Thankfully it won't be quite so long until we see them again. We love you guys!

**For more pics, go to Carrie's visit July 2010

month twenty three photos

2010-06-23T13:52:00.000-06:00

month twenty two photos

2010-05-18T11:28:00.000-06:00

mormor and morfar's visit

2010-05-18T11:24:00.000-06:00

Recently, my parents came to spend about a week and a half with us. It had been way too long since we saw them and it was a great opportunity for them to see our new house and spend lots of time with their grandson. We didn't plan too many exciting outings since they primarily wanted to play with Caleb and help us get settled in our new home. But here are a few things we did fit in:

Caleb's first haircut in a salon (instead of at home or at a friend's house):

A trip to Boulder

Several trips to the nearby playground

A morning on the golf course

Lots of fun playing with the basketball hoop MorMor and MorFar bought for Caleb:

A Mother's Day brunch with both of Caleb's grandmothers

And a hike at the nearby state park with Jason's family

It was great seeing them and so nice for Caleb to get to spend some quality time with his MorMor and MorFar. For more photos feel free to check out this photo album.

caleb these days

2010-05-13T21:08:00.001-06:00

Lately I've been thinking about how much Caleb has changed in the past few months and how little I've blogged about him. I've been so caught up in the move and now in making our new house "home" that I just haven't taken the time to blog. Back in January, I began a post entitled "chatterbox" that I never finished. Here's how it started:

"Caleb's vocabulary seems to be exploding these days. Lately he'll just try to repeat whatever random things we say. I think my favorite thing he says though is "tee too" (translation: thank you)."

That was the beginning of January when he was 17 months old. He's now almost 22 months old and talks like crazy. He still says "tee too" for thank you most of the time though and it's still my favorite thing he says. But he can say much more than that now. He can also put together sentences. And even if he doesn't know all the words in a sentence, he seems to realize that he's supposed to speak in complete sentences and babbles the parts he doesn't know while interspersing the words he does. It can be pretty funny sometimes.

In the midst of all of that, I have learned that it's important to be careful about the words I choose. One day a while back, Caleb and I were coloring. He grabbed a crayon out of my hand and I said, "Hey, I need that!" Ever since then, what has he said? "I need the...." "I need it!" This morning I was laying in bed listening to him babble because he woke up way too early and I refused to get him up that early. At one point he was saying over and over, "I need the tennis ball!"

Not only is he a chatterbox, but he also likes numbers and letters. When he was around 18 months old, we were staying with Jason's parents for a few days and one day I was sitting at the dining room table while Caleb was eating lunch. The grandfather clock began to chime and Caleb started counting with it. I looked at Jason's dad and said, "Those actually sounded like the numbers!" His dad said, "Yep," as though it wasn't a big deal (he'd been counting the chimes with Caleb prior to that). When Jason got home from work that day and Caleb was taking his bath, I asked him if he wanted to show Dada how he could count. He proceeded to count to 10 with me. Now he's gotten better at 1-10 and is even nearing 20. He isn't quite there with the alphabet, but he's getting pretty close!

He's not all nerd though. :-) He still loves balls like crazy and gets more excited about balls than anything else. Food, however, is probably a close second. He has slowly gained quite the collection of balls during the second year of his life. And recently, his MorMor and MorFar bought him a basketball hoop! More on that in a future post.

He loves to read books as well and often surprises me with how much of his books he knows by heart. He knows a few songs by heart too and likes to sing and be sung to. Some of his favorites are "Up Above" (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star), "Itsy" (The Itsy Bitsy Spider), and "Bible Song" (Jesus Loves Me).

He is definitely a character. He likes to show off and usually wants to be the center of attention. On days like today, he'll have me about to completely lose my mind one minute and then the next he'll be singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" into a bucket in the back seat of the car and I can't help but smile at how cute he is. It's amazing how frustrated I can get with him at times and then how much my heart overflows with love for him just a moment later. I guess that's what being a parent is all about...

month twenty one photos

2010-05-13T09:08:00.002-06:00

Yikes am I behind!! Here are some long overdue photos:

living on a house farm

2010-04-09T14:25:00.002-06:00

So at least part of the reason I've been blog-silent these past few months is that I've been caught up in our preparations to move and then the moving itself. There are still boxes to unpack and lots of settling in to do, but yesterday I was thinking I should at least give the blog a small taste of our new life "down south." (It's just an hour south of Boulder, but to some Boulderites it might as well be New Mexico.)

Here are a couple of pics of Caleb playing with his dada in our first ever backyard!

And here's a pic of the two of them napping in Caleb's new giraffe room.

Caleb hasn't been sleeping as well as usual and the middle-of-the-night wake-ups and early mornings have made him one tired (and grumpy) guy.

But he enjoyed our short walk to a neighborhood playground yesterday! You can't really see it too well in this picture, but it's at the other side of the lake. Not too shabby.

So how's life in suburbia? So far, so good. I'm looking forward to being more settled, to Caleb's sleep getting back to normal and his grumpiness lessening, and to my parents being our first official house guests at the end of the month!

(stay tuned for more photos of the house...)

month twenty photos

2010-03-20T13:45:00.003-06:00

Time for another set of photos! You'll notice that Caleb is into smiling for the camera these days...

say cheese!

2010-03-15T14:25:00.004-06:00

Hopefully I'll be able to update some more soon, but in the meantime I thought I'd post this short video of Caleb at mealtime. That little guy can eat a TON. I'm always asking him where he puts all that food...

month nineteen photos

2010-03-01T21:00:00.001-07:00

Okay I did a pathetic job of taking pictures during Caleb's nineteenth month. I'd been so busy trying to keep the condo looking nice for showings that taking pictures just fell to the wayside, I guess. Here's a few, although some are repeats from the aquarium album. I promise I'm trying to do better this month!

trip to the aquarium

2010-01-17T21:14:00.003-07:00

On Saturday, Caleb turned eighteen months old!! Hard to believe he's a year and a half already. We decided it was the perfect time to take him to the aquarium, which we've been wanting to do for a while. He had a blast!

month eighteen photos

2010-01-17T21:11:00.002-07:00

Christmas in CO

2010-01-03T21:05:00.005-07:00

We spent Christmas in Colorado this year. I missed seeing my family, but it was also nice not to travel and to have a relaxed time at home with Jason's parents and sister. They came to our place so it was our first time hosting!

On Christmas Eve, Jason, Caleb and I went to church and then came home and opened our presents to each other. We got Caleb a set of sport balls (baseball, soccer, football, and basketball) that he LOVED. He was super excited and didn't want to stop playing with them.

In fact, even when I told him it was time to eat dinner, he said, "No!" In case you don't know, the boy loves eating. It is rare that he turns down food. We eventually got him to eat and take his bath and go to bed. But even after he was in bed and we'd left the room, he was still saying, "Ball! Ball!"

On Christmas morning, Caleb enjoyed unwrapping presents and playing with more cool new toys. We all had a nice day complete with a yummy turkey dinner. Here are some photos of the festivities...

slide video

2009-12-30T22:34:00.003-07:00

Here's a short video of Caleb on the slide at the fun Christmas village we went to while we were in Las Vegas. He loved it!

Thanksgiving in Vegas

2009-12-30T21:44:00.003-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Vegas with Jason's family this year. It was the very first time Caleb met some of his relatives...including his great-grandparents! Here are some pics from the trip...

month seventeen photos

2009-12-30T21:41:00.001-07:00

big guy

2009-11-18T14:22:00.011-07:00

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.

month sixteen photos

2009-11-16T22:32:00.001-07:00

our little monkey

2009-11-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Last year for Halloween, Caleb just wore a onesie that said "This is my Halloween costume." But this year I couldn't resist getting him a cute little animal costume...and a monkey seemed like the perfect choice. After all, he loves climbing on things and eating bananas and can even talk like a monkey (well, instead of "ooo ooo ah ah" its usually more like "uh oh", but close enough). Here are a few pics:

one of those days

2009-11-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Caleb and I had just returned home from buying his Halloween costume and I was trying to collect everything from the car so we could get inside and have some lunch. Caleb, not unusually, was missing a shoe. I didn't see it on the side of the car I was on so I thought I'd go around to the other side. There was a brief debate in my head over whether I should bother shutting the door to the side I was on...but without too much thought, I went ahead and shut it. Then I walked around to the other side of the car, put my hand on the door handle and pulled...only to find that the door was locked. All of the doors were locked. And the keys? Caleb (who was still inside the car) had those. So there we on the side of the road by our condo complex...Caleb locked in the car, me locked out of it.

To make matters even better, Caleb's favorite button to press on the car keys is, of course, the red one. So there I stood outside the door of the car trying to figure out what to do while listening to him press the panic button...over and over and over and over. His thumb was resting right on the unlock button so for a short while I tried telling him, "Caleb, press THAT button." But no luck there. Eventually he threw the keys...which meant the was no longer any possibility of him unlocking the doors for me. But it also meant the the car would stop its incessant honking that drew the attention of all passersby. So for that I was quite thankful.

Before too long, a locksmith arrived and let me back into my car. (Seriously, what did we do before cell phones?) Fortunately, Caleb had remained fairly happy while trapped inside the car. I kept him laughing by playing peek-a-boo with him through the car window and entertaining him with the monkey costume we'd just bought. So when the locksmith arrived, Caleb just smiled at him.

While filling out the necessary paperwork, I let Caleb play around in the front seat of the car...one of his favorite pastimes. Once the locksmith left, I grabbed Caleb out of the car so we could get him a belated lunch and nap. Well he didn't like that. Nope, he wanted to stay and play in the car. So instead of being glad to get out of the car, he started throwing a little fit. Meanwhile, a firetruck pulled up. The firefighter asked me if Caleb was the one who had been locked in the car and if everything and everyone was okay. A little embarrassed, I replied, "Yes...he was fine until I took him OUT of the car." Sigh. Little stinker. But all's well that ends well, right?

Oh, and Caleb's missing shoe? Laying on the ground outside of the car all along.

trip to the east coast

2009-10-25T15:49:00.011-06:00

At the end of September, Jason, Caleb and I packed our bags and headed to the east coast. We had two friends getting married in NY on the same day so that inspired the trip. But I figured since we were making the trek, we might as well go for an extended time and visit my relatives and friends who live in CT and NY. So we flew out on a Friday and stayed for ten days. We did a ton while we were there, but somehow it didn't seem as hectic as my trips to CT have tended to be. I think that was partly because we were there for so long and partly because we stayed in most evenings since we had to get Caleb to bed.

We got to stay with my dear friend Sayward and her family. She has a 7-month-old baby girl named Lahja.

It was wonderful to spend some time with them. We also got to spend a fair amount of time with my relatives on my mom's side of the family.

We went to a party with my relatives on my dad's side as well, but I didn't get many pictures there. It was so great to see so many of my relatives that I get to see so rarely these days.

A trip to CT in the fall would not be complete without a little apple picking!! And since Jason and Caleb had never been, I just couldn't pass up that opportunity!

And finally, the wedding weekend! I got to spend some time with my dear friends from high school...

Jason got to see his buddies that he grew up with in CA (Caleb was DONE at this point in the evening)...

We got to attend a rehearsal dinner for Jason's friend Robert on a boat on Lake George...

And we had a great time at my friend Jodie's amazing wedding...

All in all, it was a wonderful trip!

month fifteen photos

2009-10-25T15:08:00.002-06:00

month fourteen photos

2009-09-23T14:35:00.001-06:00

Oh so hard to keep up with this blog. Here are some photos at least!

walking man

2009-09-11T11:03:00.004-06:00

And now the video you've all been waiting for....

And another quick one of the crazy little man...

This walking stuff is a lot of work...

month thirteen photos

2009-08-24T15:28:00.002-06:00

There are a lot this month...

one year photos

2009-08-22T21:48:00.004-06:00

Our friend Lesley was kind enough to take some photos of Caleb with her sweet camera the day after his 1st birthday. I just thought I'd share some of the cute pictures she got...

baby talk

2009-08-22T21:33:00.008-06:00

So unless you ask Jason who insists that Caleb said his first word when he was about six months old and started saying, "da da", the jury is kinda out on whether or not Caleb has officially said his first word. I lean toward no, but there are a few sounds that he has started to associate with certain things.

His favorite sound by far still remains "da." But his uses for it have become quite versatile. He uses it to say "that" or "what's that?" when he points at things and wants us to tell him what they are...or just wants to show them to us because he's super excited about them. He also says, "da da," for doggie. And "da da" for bye bye. Perhaps I'm beginning to sound a little crazy to you, but I swear it's true. He isn't just randomly saying it...not always at least. He'll point at a dog and say "da da" or wave goodbye and say "da da." And it's different from the other more random times he says it. He does associate da da with Jason now too. The other day Jason was leaving and he said, "da da, da da." In other words, "bye bye, Dada." And maybe I'm imagining it, but I feel like I can tell the difference between a da da used for one thing and a da da used for another...different inflections or something.

Anyway, I'll move on from the da's. He does say a couple of other things. For balloon, he says "bbb." And he just recently started saying "ah ah" for uh oh. Yes I realize that uh oh is more of a sound than a word. And why he can't just say "uh oh" instead of "ah ah", I don't know. But it's cute. Another fun sound that he makes came from us saying "tickle tickle tickle" when tickling him. I still have to get it on video, but he basically says, "tickatickatickaticka," and it sounds just like he's saying "tickle." It's one of my favorite sounds of his.

He's been making a little progress on his signs lately too. He has the eat one down pat...no surprise there. He's still working a bit on "all done"...he can do the sign, but doesn't always associate it with the meaning. He'll do it at random times including in the middle of a meal...and then get upset if I stop feeding him. That's okay...he'll get there. :-)

first steps

2009-08-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

About 2 1/2 weeks ago, Caleb took his first steps! He was standing up against the couch and took 2 or 3 steps over to me. My reaction was kinda strange. For some reason it didn't seem like it was for real. I clearly remember when my nephew took his first steps. My sister and her family were out here visiting and I got to see him do it. It seemed like such a special moment. Simple, but sweet and memorable. But when Caleb did it, there wasn't a whole lot of excitement or wonder on my part. Maybe it was because there wasn't someone else there to share in the moment with me. I thought I should at least mention it on the blog though. I mean, it's supposed to be one of those big milestones, right? He still isn't walking, really...just takes a few steps here and there. I don't think he's in much of a hurry though. He gets around rather efficiently without it for now!

caleb's first bike ride

2009-08-22T21:13:00.000-06:00

We got a bike trailer for Caleb at the last REI garage sale. Never before used...just two tiny pinholes in the side windows and it was half price! For his first birthday, Caleb got the kit to attach the trailer to a bike from Aunt Carrie, Uncle Mark, and cousin Nathaniel AND he got his very own bike helmet from MorMor and MorFar! So a few weekends ago, we got the trailer all set up and took Caleb on his very first bike ride!

He didn't like it very much. In fact, he seemed to be somewhat freaked out. He had his hands out to the side trying to hold on to the windows of the trailer and kept his head straight forward and tilted slightly down the whole time. I think part of the problem was definitely the helmet, but even without that I don't think he would have had much fun. We took some pictures anyway.

Last weekend we gave it another shot and while not perfect, it was definitely an improvement. He actually turned his head and looked out the sides a bit, and he didn't seem as freaked out. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he enjoyed it, but I think there's hope!

caleb's first hair cut!

2009-08-11T22:53:00.001-06:00

I think toddler boys with long blond curly hair are extra cute. So I didn't want to cut Caleb's hair because I was hoping that despite his genes, he would somehow end up with that adorable blond curly hair. Now he has the blond going for him, but curly? Not so much. Actually, it is pin straight. Add to that the unfortunate circumstance that for a while now strangers have been mistaking Caleb for a girl, and what do you get? Caleb's first hair cut.

It was definitely not a professional job. Done by mama in our bathtub. I didn't want to cut it a whole lot...just trim around the edges some. You know, so maybe people would stop thinking he was a girl even when he's totally dressed in boy clothes.

Anyway, here are some before and after shots. The first one cracks me up because it looks like one of those classic "before" shots that make the person look terrible. Of course, I still think he looks really cute. :-)

can you say mama?

2009-08-11T22:20:00.001-06:00

Caleb still can't (or perhaps won't is more accurate) say mama. We've heard him say something like it here and there, but the vast majority of the time when asked to say mama, he instead says dada. Kinda like this:

first birthday party

2009-08-11T22:05:00.000-06:00

The Saturday after Caleb's birthday, we had a little party for him at our place. We kept it small...just family and a few close friends. We ate some food,

opened presents,

and hung out at the pool.
Nothing fancy, but lots of fun!

first birthday at the zoo

2009-08-11T21:05:00.001-06:00

We took Caleb to the Denver Zoo on his first birthday. My parents were here visiting and Jason's parents and sister met us at the zoo as well. When Ali (Jason's sister) showed up, she had a box of cupcakes with her. Knowing that Jason and I were not planning on giving Caleb a cupcake on his birthday because we hadn't given him anything remotely like it yet, she did not even ask before whipping out the mini cupcake she had gotten just for him. As you can see, Caleb was a little uncertain at first...

But we got the "obligatory" frosting-covered face shot...

We then set off to explore the zoo. Caleb was usually more interested in playing with the fences than looking at the animals. Here he is at the bear exhibit contemplating the sign that says, "Do not cross or stand on fence. These animals are dangerous."...

He did enjoy the seal show though. Here he is sitting on Jason's shoulders clapping for the seals...

But his favorite part by far was the indoor rainforest where he got to see the fishies...

I guess next time we'll have to try the aquarium!

mormor and morfar's visit

2009-08-10T19:05:00.035-06:00

My parents came out to visit us in July. They planned their trip so that they'd be here for Caleb's first birthday! They arrived on a Saturday and we picked them up at the airport. Caleb had just woken up from a nap and was being mr. shy guy...

...but after a little bit, he warmed up.

We had a wonderful time while they were here. They don't get to see Caleb a whole lot so it was so great to watch them having fun together. During their visit, we took a little trip to Grand Lake, CO.

While there, we hiked to a waterfall,

saw some beautiful wildflowers,

(and not-so-wild flowers)

and, on our last day there, took Caleb on his first ever boat ride!

He was not a big fan of the wind (there was a lot of it) or the water splashing on him. So this is how he ended up...
Oh well...better luck next time. After our boat ride, we grabbed some lunch and headed back to Boulder via Rocky Mountain National Park.

We spent the rest of their visit in and around Boulder. We went to the zoo on Caleb's birthday and had a little party for him the Saturday after his birthday (more on those in future posts). We even got to enjoy an evening at the Boulder Dinner Theater while Caleb hung out with his tia.

The day before they had to leave, we spent a little time at a park by the Boulder Creek.

It was such a special visit. It was so nice for Caleb to get to spend some time with his grandparents. They even taught him how to respond to "How big is Caleb?" by reaching his arms up over his head. He does it randomly now in eager expectation of someone saying, "SO big!" in response. It's pretty cute. We did a webcam with MorMor and MorFar the week after their visit and as soon as Caleb saw them on the computer screen he threw his arms up over his head, grinning. It was adorable. He loves his MorMor and MorFar so much!

month twelve photos

2009-07-16T21:25:00.001-06:00

finger foods

2009-07-05T22:56:00.001-06:00

It took Caleb a while to develop an interest in feeding himself finger foods, but in just the past couple of weeks that has changed. Here's a video of him showing off his skills as well as his nose scrunch that he likes to do these days...

more hiking

2009-07-05T22:16:00.002-06:00

Jason had Friday off so we took the opportunity to go on another family hike. We didn't bring the camera, partly because we were already on the way out the car when I realized we didn't have it...and with all it takes to get out of the door these days, I'd rather not go back if I don't have to.

We headed toward Eldorado Canyon and started at the Mesa Trailhead. It sprinkled a bit shortly after we got on the trail, but fortunately that was all the rain we saw. The highlight of the hike was definitely the wildflowers. They were amazing. All different colors, sizes, and shapes. As we hiked along, up some steps and past a little brook, I reflected on the awesome creativity of God and pondered how anyone could believe that the wildflowers I was seeing, in all of their beauty, intricacy and uniqueness, could have just come about on their own. I was torn between wishing I had the camera and being glad that I didn't because I'd want to stop every few seconds to take a picture of one.

We turned around after an hour and a half (that included a stop to feed Caleb) and headed down so that we could get back home for naptime. Jason had carried Caleb on the way up so it was my turn to give it a shot on the way down. He was heavy! Not sure I'll be doing many epic hikes with Caleb on my back. It was two days ago and I'm still a little sore from it. But we had fun.

water world!

2009-07-05T21:36:00.005-06:00

On Monday, Caleb and I met my friend Lindsay and her son Jeremiah at Water World (a water park in the Denver area). I haven't been to a water park in ages. Actually, they kinda gross me out. But I thought I'd suck it up and give Water World a shot since I'd heard good things about it and thought Caleb might enjoy it. And we had a blast! I didn't get any pictures of him in the water, but here are a few that I took before we left...

camping at buffalo creek

2009-07-05T15:54:00.029-06:00

Last weekend, we took Caleb on his first camping trip!! We joined Jason's parents and sister up in Buffalo Creek for two nights. Jason, Caleb and I got up there Friday afternoon. Grandma and Granddad happily accepted the job of feeding Caleb his dinner and Jason and I went on a little stroll to check out the wildflowers.

Then we pitched our tent. We'd brought Caleb's travel crib, which looks like a mini tent itself, to put inside our tent for him to sleep in. But he had other plans. He was hard to settle and put to bed and then woke up about an hour and a half after he got to sleep screaming his head off. With some difficulty, we got him back to sleep again. But of course, when it was time for us to get in the tent for the night, we woke him up and he started screaming again. So we ended up zipping our sleeping bags together and sticking him in between us. He did fairly well the rest of the night, but we couldn't really say the same. Oh well, I didn't have high expectations for his first night of camping anyway...

The next day, Jason, his dad and I went mountain biking and Caleb stayed at the campsite with Jason's mom and sister. The guide book said the trail would take 1.5 hours for intermediate riders. It didn't, however, say how long it would take completely out of shape riders like myself. More like 3 hours. We spent the rest of the day hanging out at the campsite. Fortunately, the rain had held out for our bike ride. Also fortunately, Jason's parents had rented an RV that we got to hide out in when the rain did start to fall. We did our best to keep Caleb entertained in the camper...

Then the rain stopped and we were able to get back outside. Caleb has some fun playing with his stroller wheels...

Here's a video so you can see him in action:

And here he is making friends with Theodore, Ali's roommate's dog who was on his first camping trip too!

The second night we planned for him ending up sleeping with us and we slept a bit better. But even though the sleeping situation wasn't ideal, it was a really fun camping trip. And Caleb definitely had a blast!

hiking adventures

2009-07-05T13:41:00.006-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the REI garage sale and got Caleb a bike trailer and a hiking backpack! The bike trailer isn't quite ready to be used (still need the fit kit and a helmet for Caleb), but we hit the trail with the hiking backpack a couple of days after we got it. Because we got it at the garage sale, it is top-of-the-line...nicer than we would have gotten otherwise. It comes complete with a sun/rain hood, a diaper bag and changing pad, and a little mirror so you can look over your shoulder at your little passenger.

Anyway, Jason came home from work a little early the Monday after we got the pack and we headed to a nearby trail. Here are some pics from our little hiking adventure (if you double-click on the collage, you can see them up close):

peek-a-boo take two

2009-07-05T13:40:00.000-06:00

I meant to write this post a month ago and now it's a little outdated, but I'll write it anyway. Back in January I posted about how much Caleb enjoyed playing peek-a-boo. Well he still does, but he takes a much more active role in it now. A while back he started "hiding" from us when he wanted to play peek-a-boo. He would cover up his eyes and make these happy grunting noises until he had our attention (which usually meant that his eyes wouldn't be completely covered so that he could see when we were looking at him). When we looked, he would take his hands away, we'd say "peek-a-boo", and he'd grin. I meant to get it on video, but haven't. And he doesn't do it as much these days as when he first discovered it, of course. But to me it's just a cool representation of his development. It wasn't that long ago when we had to do all the work to play peek-a-boo...put a blanket over him and then whisk it away...then he started to remove the blanket himself...and now he can do it all himself...no blanket necessary even. May sound silly, but it's fun to see that sort of progression with one particular activity. That's all. :-)

month eleven photos

2009-06-17T15:22:00.001-06:00

Eleven months old!! It's hard to believe that his first birthday is right around the corner. Pretty soon he'll be walking around and then he won't even seem like a baby anymore! It seems harder to get good photos these days because he won't stay in one place too long. But here's what I've got for the past month...

summer time fun

2009-06-08T10:23:00.000-06:00

This little man loves watermelon. Of course, he loves most food, but watermelon is a newer one and he's crazy about it. Usually we cut it up into little chunks, but last night Jason was giving him slices...

month ten photos

2009-06-03T20:48:00.000-06:00

atlanta

2009-06-03T16:18:00.003-06:00

In the beginning of May, Caleb got to take his first trip to Atlanta to visit his Aunt Carrie, Uncle Mark, and cousin Nathaniel. We hadn't visited since before they moved to their new house over a year ago and I was so glad we finally made it there! We arrived on a Friday and spent the evening at the house so that Caleb could adjust a bit. When it was time to get ready for bed, Caleb had fun taking a bath with Nathaniel and then fell asleep in Nathaniel's travel crib with barely a complaint!

On Saturday, we took a short trip to the park and then headed back to the house to meet up with my parents who were coming for a couple of days too! We relaxed at the house the rest of the day Saturday and on Sunday we visited the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which were really neat. Sunday night, Nathaniel's babysitter, Lauren, was kind enough to watch both of the boys so that the adults could have a night out. We went out for a nice dinner at Two Urban Licks and then had drinks at the top of the Westin, where we enjoyed the views of Atlanta from the rotating cocktail lounge! We weren't sure how Caleb would do with Lauren because we usually leave him with Jason's family and he'd never been put to bed by someone he didn't know at all. But I was glad to hear that he ended up doing really well!

On Monday, Carrie and Mark had to work so my parents took Jason, Caleb, Nathaniel and I out for a yummy breakfast. We spent the rest of the time hanging out at the house. My parents left Monday afternoon and we left Tuesday afternoon. It rained a lot during our trip, but that was okay because the thing we most want to do was spend time with my family. Caleb had lots of fun with his cousin. Nathaniel was super cute...always going over to Caleb and giving him hugs and kisses.

When I reflect on our time there, it makes me sad that we don't get to see them more often. But because of that, the times that we do get to be with them are that much sweeter! Here are some (okay, lots of) photos from our trip (if you double-click on the slideshow, it'll take you to my web album and you can click on view all and see them faster if you want):

the rescue

2009-06-03T15:23:00.000-06:00

On April 25th, Jason, Caleb and I participated in The Rescue...a global event aimed at raising awareness about the child soldiers in Africa. It was sponsored by an organization called Invisible Children (http://www.invisiblechildren.com/) that is working to rescue children in Central East Africa who have been abducted and forced to fight as soldiers in a rebel militia. The Rescue event took place in 100 cities all over the world and involved thousands of people "abducting themselves" and waiting to be "rescued", which required the attendance of cultural and/or political leaders as well as media coverage of the event.

Jason, Caleb and I headed to Denver where we met up with about 2,000 people in a park near the Capital. We then walked, single-file and holding onto a rope, through the streets of the city to another park a few miles away. Since it would have been too complicated with Caleb, we didn't stick around and wait to be rescued. It was a cold, rainy day so I wasn't too disappointed that we had to leave. But I was glad that we got to do the march at least. Caleb's little hands got pretty cold, but he was a really good sport. Here are a couple of pics of Caleb's first rally. :-)

pointer

2009-06-01T15:25:00.003-06:00

One of Caleb's favorite things to do these days is point. He points at anything and everything that interests him...cars, trucks, birds, flowers, fans, people (though I've tried to tell him that the latter is a bit rude). He points and points and often seems to be waiting for us to tell him the name of the things he is pointing at. At mealtimes, he likes to use his pointing skills to let us know exactly what he wants. Kinda like this:

The other day I bought some flowers for the flower box on our patio. When Jason got home I asked Caleb if he wanted to show Daddy the flowers and he pointed at the sunflowers in a vase on our dining room table! Not exactly what I was going for, but that was the first time he used his pointing skills to identify something like that. We, of course, kept asking him where the flowers were and enthusiastically praised him for pointing to them. Now any time we ask him where something is (fan, phone, computer, Mama, whatever), he points to...the sunflowers. I wonder what he'll do when I get rid of the now rather dead sunflowers...

on the move

2009-05-30T15:47:00.000-06:00

About a month ago, Caleb began to master the skill of pulling himself up. His initial motivation, of course, was the computer:

So now he has the army crawl down, has started crawling on his hands and knees here and there, can pull himself up on furniture (and mom and dad), and can even cruise a bit along the furniture. His increased mobility has of course lead to a certain propensity for bumps and bruises. But I'm sure that these are just the beginnings of many a bump and bruise. Toddlerhood, here we come!

cottage cheese

2009-05-30T15:15:00.000-06:00

A while back (as is the case with most of these posts because I haven't been keeping up as usual), we tried giving Caleb some cottage cheese. He was not a fan. Here's what he looked like after a bite of cottage cheese:

And after another bite of cottage cheese:

But then we gave him a bite of applesauce and all was well in his little world once again:

caleb's first hike

2009-05-30T14:59:00.001-06:00

So I recently realized that Jason had a bunch of photos on his camera that I'd forgotten about because I've only been keeping on top of the pictures in my own camera. When I looked through them, it reminded me about the first hike we took Caleb on back in March. Nothing crazy or anything. We just headed to a local park at the foot of the foothills and hiked a trail there (well, part of a trail). Here are a few pics:

fun at the park!

2009-04-26T14:08:00.001-06:00

Last week, the weather in Boulder was gorgeous (70's and sunny) following the mid-April snowstorm just a few days before. So on one of those gorgeous days, Caleb and I headed to the park for a picnic lunch and some fun in the sun! We had a great time and Caleb even got to ride on a swing for the very first time. He loved it! I took a video, but as usual, I forgot to hold the camera horizontally so my video is sideways. Still working on a good way to rotate them, but in the meantime, here are a few pics of our little park excursion:

month nine photos

2009-04-21T21:20:00.000-06:00

mama has cool friends (caleb)

2009-04-10T10:54:00.003-06:00

Last week, Mama's friend Jodie came to visit. As you can see from this picture, I had tons of fun with her:

I can't wait until she moves out to Denver and I get to play with her more often! On Saturday (which happened to be Daddy's birthday), Mama's friend Sayward had her baby! Her name is Lahja and I can't wait to meet her!! I hear she's pretty cute...and I bet she's cool because she has such cool parents. :-)

army crawl

2009-03-17T21:30:00.004-06:00

About a week ago, Caleb discovered the ability to scooch forward on his belly. At first, it took a whole lot of effort to move a very short distance, but he has improved dramatically in just a week. I fear the days of chasing him everywhere are just around the corner! Here's a video of the little guy in action...

month eight photos

2009-03-17T21:10:00.003-06:00

For some reason, eight months old sounds old to me. Don't laugh...I understand that in the whole scheme of things, eight months is not in any way old. But when I tell people that Caleb is eight months old, it just for some reason sounds to me like he is an older baby now. He's not just a little itty bitty one anymore. Not sure what it is about eight months exactly. Anyway, here are some photos of his eighth month:

Reminder: click on the slide show to see bigger photos, leave comments, etc.

eating solids

2009-03-10T20:49:00.001-06:00

So of course, it took Caleb some time to get the hang of eating solids. But once he did, he was quite good at it. Then he quickly moved from being a perfect little eater to raspberrying his food at us and complaining when he doesn't like something as much as other things. See at first, the whole eating thing was new to him so he didn't care much what it was he was eating. But now that he's tried a bunch of things, he's starting to show some preferences. He still is generally a very good eater so far though.

This video is from a while back. It was one of the first times he ate carrots (if not the very first...I don't remember now). He definitely liked carrots. Notice how he moves his hands around in circles while he eats. He does that all the time when he eats...with both his hands and his feet. Also note at the beginning how he throws his right arm up in the air and then looks like he's trying to figure out how it got there or something. He did that multiple times during that meal and it was pretty funny...

month seven photos

2009-03-03T21:40:00.006-07:00

Perhaps it is hopeless to think that I'll ever get out of this pattern of waiting forever to blog and then trying desperately to get caught up. Anyway, here are the month seven photos I just finally uploaded. I'll hopefully have some more posts soon...

a new friend

2009-01-21T14:37:00.005-07:00

Caleb got to meet our friend Barry for the first time about a week ago. Jason took some great photos of the two of them that I thought I'd share:

And...don't worry...I saved the best for last. This one cracks us up:

caleb's second first christmas

2009-01-21T14:27:00.004-07:00

Last weekend, we went down to Parker to celebrate Christmas with Jason's family (a little late). Here are some pictures of the festivities (double-click on the slide show to see bigger pics):

if they only knew...

2009-01-21T13:52:00.003-07:00

People often tell me that Caleb is such a happy baby or such a good baby or something along those lines. And I would generally agree with that statement. Sometimes he is an amazingly good baby. Like when we were at Chrissi and Ralph's wedding and he slept so well through the reception that people thought that we must have either drugged him or hidden him somewhere and put a doll in his car seat. Sometimes when people tell me how good or happy he is, they ask if he is always that way. The answer is no (sometimes a rather emphatic no depending on his recent behavior).

Caleb is a rather social little guy, which in part explains why other people often say he is such a good baby. When we're out and about and he gets to interact with new people, he's happy as a clam (wherever that expression came from). But make him stay him with mom the whole day? BORing.

Some days, my patience really wears thin. Other days I definitely feel like I'm losing my mind. Like a couple of days ago when I noticed a pair of my socks in the trash can and realized that I must have thrown them in there instead of the laundry basket. This week has been particularly challenging as he is not sleeping well...neither at night nor during the day. When he doesn't sleep well at night, I'm more tired during the day...and when he doesn't sleep well during the day, I can't get anything done. So by the time Jason gets home from work, I'm completely spent...exhausted from lack of sleep and frustrated from dealing with a rather cranky baby all day.

Whatever the cause (I have some guesses and am working on some potential solutions), I am grateful to have such an amazing, healthy, and usually happy baby. I am definitely aware that it could be much worse and that in general he is a very good baby. And, of course, I must remember that this too shall pass (and probably be closely followed by some entirely new problem). Ah, the joys of motherhood.

solid food

2009-01-21T11:15:00.001-07:00

About a week and a half ago, we decided to give Caleb his first taste of solid food! He seems to enjoy eating and is catching on relatively quickly. For his first food, we gave him some egg yolk, which supplies cholesterol, choline, and omega-3 fatty acids for his developing brain as well as some important amino acids. :-) Of course, my camera batteries died 7 seconds into the video, but I did manage to capture his first bite!

The next food he tried was some banana, which he seemed to like quite a lot. Here are a few pictures of his first banana eating experience...

mouth fettish

2009-01-21T09:33:00.002-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, Caleb has a habit of sticking things in his mouth...whether it be his own hands, other people's hands, his toys, or his dad's nose...

This, of course, is perfectly normal for a baby his age (well, maybe not the nose part). It also can be quite funny. Like when he tries to stick things in his mouth that simply won't fit...

When he decided to start chomping on Jason's nose one day, it was particularly funny. I grabbed the camera and took a short video (I love how he turns and looks at the camera at the end...what a goof!).