Itsy Bitsy Spider

My little guy has given up his spider crawl to walking and moving faster every day. Soon I think he'll be climbing. I couldn't believe when he tried to climb out the tub after his bath last night. What is a mother to do! He looks more like a boy than ever these days. He even has his first scrape. Seems the driveway jumped up and kissed his sweet chin. Fortunately, I wasn't there to witness the drama king! He was with Daddy and Nana for that one. Whew!

I really like this video because Caleb zones right in on our cat Buttons who doesn't even see him coming. I'm not sure what kind of noise I'm making in the end, though. I guess it's the sound of a toddler pulling the tail of a cat. So if you ever wanted to know what that sounds like, listen up!

Caleb's vocabulary continues to grow. Of course, I cannot interpret most of the sounds he makes but when I listen closely I can make out a few. As of this weekend he has started saying 'Mama'. He actually has been calling me 'Georgia'--I swear! I guess that's because that's what he hears everyone else call me.

Grand Master C

Our walking days have only begun! During our travels to New York in June Caleb took to his great grandmother's walker. Since then he has been cruising all our furniture at home until this week. He took those first few steps! Still a little unsteady but gaining strength and momentum everyday.

I've grown to appreciate cabinet locks in the last few weeks as well. Caleb has taken it upon himself to find everything he can in all available cabinets and drawers. I find myself picking up one room only to enter the next and find it in disarray as though a tornado just blew through.

I am excited to see his growing curiousity of how each item he finds works. He has found small jars that are perfect for rolling and placing on top of the garbage can. My lipsticks make fabulous drumsticks on the toilet. The steamer is a great toy to pull out of the lower cabinet as well because it scoots so nicely across the floor. That is until I find myself tripping over it and spilling my chips. I guess it only adds to the chaos that is our happy home! And Grand Master C gets an unexpected treat as well.

In the last few weeks I've noticed some new personality traits. When Caleb gets a little frustrated he wrinkles his face and throws whatever is in his reach. Also, if he just doesn't want to do something he bucks his head back in protest. Thankfully we haven't had any incidents yet with this. I'm anxious that one of these protest moments will be out of my reach and he'll pound his noggin on the floor!All in all I suppose he is growing into his own. He is so much fun!

Have Fun Stormin' the Castle

My baby boy turned ONE last month! We celebrated with family and friends in our home. Caleb wasn't quite sure what to make of all the fuss over him. Cake and presents were not his thing.



He did not even taste his birthday cake, which was reluctantly consumed for breakfast the following morning by none other than moi! Mmm...tasty. And I can't help but love the picture where Caleb is no where to be found while we are opening his gifts. Oh, wait, there he is in the background playing with his old toys alone.



All in all, we celebrated this year for ourselves, how much we love Caleb, how much we've grown as a family and as individuals. At times it seems the year has sped by but when I think about what we've done...WOW! From breastfeeding to bottles, baby food to table food, rolling over to sitting up, creeping to crawling, pulling up to cruising furniture, smiling to lauging, cooing to speaking (I swear he says 'cat'), and so much more! For an update, Caleb is solely using a sippy cup and drinking whole milk-no more bottles, no more formula! The day we switched him over he had no problem, as if he'd been ready for it all along.


Other highlights of our Memorial Day/Birthday Party weekend were finding the bathroom TP'd. Only a face like this could get away with such a mess.

And our day at the zoo with Nana and Poppy. Nana and I witnessed Caleb's first word 'cat' while looking at the Tigers. I promise!

Sippy Cup Wars

"The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and

we both drink, and find out who is right..."

Presently we are working on weaning Caleb from the bottle and using a big boy sippy cup. He's advanced in using sign language (flailing his arms, screaming, turning his head in disgust) to unmistakably say..."only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the [sippy cup] in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the [sippy cup] in front of me."

In many ways he has displayed to me that he has a do-it-myself kind of attitude. While playing with him and his Jack-in-the-box he wants to turn the knob himself. So when his grandmother tries to guide his hand and show him how, he just pushes her away. In his highchair when he eats his dinner he won't allow me to use the fork to feed him, he'd rather use his hands to feed himself. I am pleased as punch that he has this strong will and desire to learn. I think this is why I am so heart broken when I try to help him learn to use the sippy cup and he just doesn't want to. The tears well up in his eyes and as he starts to cry, I just want to hold him tight and say 'Here baby, take this bottle instead.'

But (sigh) my baby turns ONE this week and he moves to his new classroom at daycare, so he needs to learn how to drink from the atrocious sippy cup. I'm certain with such a strong minded child this is only the beginning of many battle of wits.

"You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched [sippy cups] when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when [a sippy cup] is on the line!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha..."

Cherish the Joy You Keep Bringing Into my Life

This morning I've been watching brand new ducklings become acclimated to the pond outside my office window. It's amazing how fast they've gone from the walking the water's edge with trepidation to falling in line with mommy. In this month of May I have done a lot of reflecting on this first year of Caleb's life. I'm sure my next few blogs will be very retrospective.

I've found out recently that Caleb will be 'graduating' on May 29 to his next classroom at daycare. There will be no more cribs or high chairs, no more bottles or jar foods. He'll be taking one nap a day on a mat, sitting at a small table with his classmates for lunch, drinking from a sippee cup, playing on the playground.

Mark and I are so anxious for him to walk that we have not been taking the time to enjoy his present stage. Last night Caleb had the sweetest laugh as I 'chased' him. He got the biggest kick out of our game. He'd crawl as fast as he could, laughing and giggling. Then, he'd take a moment to stop and I'd tickle him and he'd take off again. I tried to get video footage but it didn't do justice of such a precious moment.

idk my bff, Jill

Don't you think everyone needs a Spam ball? Nana and Pappy brought Caleb this souvenier from the Monster Truck Jam in Las Vegas. What more could you ask for from your Grandparents? He loves playing with anything that rolls. This morning he emptied my bathroom bottom drawer and rolled the lipstick tubes and perfume bottles across the floor. Fortunately, he hasn't figured out how to open these yet! I especially like the part in this video where he is contemplating which ball to follow and wags his bottom like he has a tail!



This video was recorded on Easter and I can't believe how much Caleb has changed since then. I'm hoping to record some more video of him this weekend. He will have his first swimming in a pool experience, well, more like floating. And he's become quite the expert at the 'Monkey Crawl'. This is where he crawls on his hands and feet with his bottom in the air. This video begins with me using some strange voice talking to Caleb. Then, his Nana narrates and it wraps up with me cackling! Yikes!

Please Don't Laugh At Me But,

PDLAMB...
...when I raise the blinds they have to be even on both ends and with the other blinds in the house!
...I lock my doors so fast when I get in my car that if someone else is riding with me they had better move fast or they'll be locked out!

...I love using the word caddywampus.

...sometimes I like to make faces at myself in the bathroom stall where no one can see me.

The list goes on...what is your PDLAMB?

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Caleb's first Easter was celebrated in the home of Nana and Pawpaw. Here he is tasting all the eggs he found in his camouflage Easter basket. He spent the day figuring out how to close the eggs back together but couldn't quite figure out how to get them open. He did manage to find they popped open if he threw them on the floor. We're not moving too fast to make him our Take Home Chef anytime soon!

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

This weekend was a test of just how much Sir Cranks A Lot could endure as we traveled together to Tucker, GA. I was quite impressed since he only napped a total of 35 minutes out of the 4 hour drive. I believe he must now be Knighted as Sir Smiles for Miles! On the last leg of the trip he did let me know just how tired he was of hearing SexyBack so I played him his Baby Mozart from my ipod and he was totally silent.

We had a grand time visiting with our friends Christy and Phil and becoming acquainted with baby Andrew. Caleb also spent much of his time chasing the
Dasch-huahua, Shiloh, and Dachsund, Sammie. Caleb laughed everytime Sammie licked his face but I'm not sure he knew exactly what was going on when I caught Sammie humping his backside. No need to worry-it only happened once!

Caleb worked hard showing Andrew what he had to look forward to as he becomes more mobile. There is a wonderful chew toy plugged into the wall and tasty pebbles in the fireplace. Mommy was just grateful not to find him half-way up the stairs, "No need to get excited, I'm just coming down for a little exercise."

Considering all the new surroundings we had a fantastic visit and we look forward to making many in the upcoming years.

It looks as though we will be ready to test the waters again this summer with a drive to New York to visit Caleb's great-grandparents.

There's No Place Like Home...

Everyday around 4:30 in the afternoon I enjoy seeing a rainbow from my office window. My fifth story office overlooks a pond and the fountain creates a rainbow everyday! It's a beautiful reminder of God's love and promise. And at such great timing since I am wishing at that time of day to be somewhere over the rainbow.
Where is your beauty in each day?

Too Confining, Too Confining...

The consignment sales were a blast! But as soon as I entered the door my brain totally shutdown. What am I here to buy? What size does my son wear? I was mesmerized upon aisle after aisle of tiny hats, socks, shorts, tops. Not to mention I was hearing voices, every toy was talking to me as I passed. And at one point there was a small stuffed dog barking at me with this sort of scratchy, slow, batteries-half-dead kind of bark. How can one even begin to think in such an atmosphere?

I did finally settle on a few pair of overalls, books, and toys that light up and beep. It is becoming a little easier to shop for my guy. I remember my first few times in Babies 'R' Us! I walked out of that store more confused every time I shopped. Picking the perfect stroller, carseat, bottles, etc. Now I feel like a real pro when it comes to the baby equipment. However, if I had realized I don't think I would have bought any of it (except the car seat) at full price.

Snoogle Oogle Oogy

Here I am Friday winding up the last 30 minutes of a long work week (it makes the week longer when you decide to live under a rock). I'm trying really hard to waste these last minutes finding out what everyone has planned for the weekend. The guy next to my office, the only bachelor in our office, is my age and he said he wasn't sure what his plans were. He needs some immediate fun for after work! Oh, how I used to look forward to that fun after work! Typically on Friday I now look forward to the one day a week I get to pick up my Snoogly-Oogus from daycare; however, this week ends with an even more exciting event-Shopping! But not JUST shopping-I'll be hitting 2 baby consignment sales with a friend. Oh, how times have changed.

Sugar Sweet Symphony

Ok, if you ever wondered how a sugar-free Peep tastes-don't! It's horrible! I do believe Sugar-free and Peep are antonyms by the way.

So here's my quandry for the day...what came first the Peep or the Cadbury Egg?

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Well here I am once again trying to guess why Caleb's nose is a fountain of mucous. Could it be his striking resemblance to Rudolph is going to mean a lifetime of allergies (guess I'll have to put a stop to Buttons sleeping in his stroller in the garage)? Could it be that a new set of teeth are surfacing (maybe those two front teeth that he asked for at Christmas--I think that is how 'Blaawh, blaawh' translates)? Could he just be suffering from another cold bug? It hit me last night when my own throat became scratchy and I did not sleep so well due to congestion-it's definitely a bug!

I've officially decided I'm living under a rock. So if you come looking for me you'll probably find me and Caleb tucked neatly away under the fake rock that is currently covering our water well in the back yard. However, I think I am going to move the rock inside, live under it and if anyone visits they will be showered with Lysol before entering.

I guess I should run this past Mark, though. He did mention the other night he wanted to change things up a bit. Not sure this is quite what he meant. I think he was referring more to trading cooking dinner for bathing Caleb. You see right now I get home just in time to spend 1 hour or less with my Sir Cranks A Lot while Mark spends the time cooking for us both. Mark gets home an hour earlier than I do. He made comment something to the effect that he'd like to see me cook dinner for him and put Caleb to bed...hmmmm...I believe I so kindly reminded him that in order to do so I'd have to quit my day job, which would ultimately mean he'd have to lose the new truck he so much enjoys driving.

However, if I decide to live under a rock after all then who needs a truck?

Please Don't Scuff Your Nose on my Carpet

So the doctor claims that Caleb's persistent red nose is due to him being a 'white baby' and 'white babies have red noses since babies rub their noses on toys and carpet and such'. I think it might have something to do with the fact that he is my own little yogi and tries to attempt Downward Facing Dog in his crib at daycare. Of course, two sides of this crib are plexiglass and they don't make for a soft landing on the nose!

I'm happy to share that Caleb is cutting more teeth which means he is eating new kinds of food and will soon show an array of color all over his face. It does a mother proud to show off her little vampire!

There are not enough words...

OK, so I now have a space where I can write 24/7 about my son and other miscellaneous topics, AS IF THERE ARE ANY! What could possibly be more interesting than a creature who has a persistently runny nose and wipes it all over the bottom of my pants leg before work? And yet somehow I find it one of the moments I treasure the most, knowing my son has crawled to me and finds security in my arms! I was always going to be a mother who did not let her child be seen with a snotty nose but I have learned ever so quickly why there are so many little people with crusty edges. I think when Caleb is old enough he is going to burn the Green Giant--that would be the bulb syringe we were given at his birth. Mark exits stage left the minute he sees me pull it out, knowing how much Caleb loves it! I am convinced that's why Caleb learned to roll over so quickly--to escape the havoc of the Green Giant.

Boy does a baby change everything. Who would ever expect somewhere in the mid-20s they'd be sitting at dinner with the entire family discussing what was found in the baby's diaper today. And actually be ever so pleased to hear it stayed in the diaper!

I miss my baby. But I suppose I need to get to work now!

Hope you all enjoy your day! Toodles.