So, I am working like a mad(wo)man these days and hardly have time for anything else. Caleb however, has not stopped growing and developing, and just generally being the joy of our lives. Just three little moments:
He is giggling and laughing now, usually at some prodding from me. The other day I put Sesame Street on for him and all of a sudden, at my surprise, I heard loud giggles coming from the living room. I rushed in to see what was so funny and saw the most wonderful sight – Caleb laughing at the Rubber Ducky song (every time the rubber ducky squeaked). I grabbed my camera and caught 15 seconds on video – and some of you got to see it. The Rubber Ducky song will now go down in history as the very first thing (other than a person) that made Caleb laugh. (Also, as the very first baby song that Mom can’t seem to get out of her head!)
I had Beethoven on one evening (the same one he enjoyed a couple of months ago) and was singing along while looking at him close up in the swing. He was smiling and enjoying the singing... The music came to a dramatic part and as the music swelled, GET THIS - my 4 month old son teared up (not crying) but clearly touched by the music, alternately pouting his lips and smiling, with red, watery eyes! My 4 month old was displaying mature emotions at the music! Unbelievable! I wish I had my camera! (sheepish grin)
So, he’s teething, right? And the poor thing doesn’t have a teething ring yet (I ordered some, but they haven’t arrived yet). So he eats his hands and struggles a bit in the evening, wanting to nurse – just so he can soothe his gums. I gave him a pacifier - after about 2 months. We gave up on it, because he used to always need someone to hold it in. But not this time! He has apparently mastered the pacifier in the 2 months that he didn’t use one. He had a nice evening of very happily chewing on it.
Oh, and he’s also trying to SIT UP using his stomach muscles, has ROLLED OVER the other way (from his back to his stomach), and he can also be PULLED UP by his hands to a STANDING position (which he’ll hold for a while, then buckling knees, hold, buckling... – you get the picture)!
April 30, 2007
Work, work, work (also Rubber Ducky LOVE, Emotional Music Listening, and Pacifier Revisited)
April 24, 2007
4 month measurements
Caleb is 4 months old today!
His measurements:
Weight: 16 pounds 1 ounce (75th percentile)
Length: 26 inches (75-90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16.50 inches (25-50th percentile)
The pediatrician said that apparently his body is trying to catch up to his head! He continues to meet/exceed all the developmental milestones, and she admired his nice hair and good skin!
April 18, 2007
Deadlines, Taxes, and more Deadlines...
Whew! We had a crazy week! Between my working 16-18 hour days to meet a big deadline, all the while taking care of BabyCakes (that’s Caleb), who spent most of that time camped out on my lap, and trying to find a free hour in the middle of it all to dig out our records, thumb through them, make many, many, (many!) calculations, in order to finally produce, together with Ron, what is known as OUR TAX RETURN, I’m proud to say that we did it!!!
I feel like I’ve achieved a task of superhuman effort with this project. I used to take for granted being able to work hours like this without too much trouble, but throw a baby into the equation and you’ve got CRAZY going on! Take this morning, for instance. Just as my deadline was rapidly approaching with twenty-some more pages still to proof, Caleb woke up at the most inopportune moment – REALLY needing me... It’s almost impossible to do concentrated work with a squirming, kicking, sucking, teething infant on your lap. Still made it, but only by the seat of my pants.
Today, there are neat little piles of bills spread out on our living room floor (they're lovely)... a big pile of unsorted (at least clean) laundry in our bedroom... dishes piled high in the sink... fast-food boxes everywhere... and well, let’s just say, everyone’s personal grooming has suffered in the past week. So, I get a day off before I go back into the trenches again with a month-long project. It’s good money, but I don’t have any illusions. It’s going to be HARD WORK. It will be a joint family effort: Ron will take over much of the cooking, shopping, etc., and Caleb’s cooperation is just as much needed, in order to make this a success. (He’s been teething terribly lately. No sign of any teeth yet, just lots of saliva, chewing, hands in mouth... I was hoping for a couple more months of toothless grins! But if they must come, let them come.)
I’m just glad that we are done with today. The Deadline has been met. The Tax Returns have been sent. For now, all is well with the world.
(Got to go, the Baby seriously needs a bath!) :)
I feel like I’ve achieved a task of superhuman effort with this project. I used to take for granted being able to work hours like this without too much trouble, but throw a baby into the equation and you’ve got CRAZY going on! Take this morning, for instance. Just as my deadline was rapidly approaching with twenty-some more pages still to proof, Caleb woke up at the most inopportune moment – REALLY needing me... It’s almost impossible to do concentrated work with a squirming, kicking, sucking, teething infant on your lap. Still made it, but only by the seat of my pants.
Today, there are neat little piles of bills spread out on our living room floor (they're lovely)... a big pile of unsorted (at least clean) laundry in our bedroom... dishes piled high in the sink... fast-food boxes everywhere... and well, let’s just say, everyone’s personal grooming has suffered in the past week. So, I get a day off before I go back into the trenches again with a month-long project. It’s good money, but I don’t have any illusions. It’s going to be HARD WORK. It will be a joint family effort: Ron will take over much of the cooking, shopping, etc., and Caleb’s cooperation is just as much needed, in order to make this a success. (He’s been teething terribly lately. No sign of any teeth yet, just lots of saliva, chewing, hands in mouth... I was hoping for a couple more months of toothless grins! But if they must come, let them come.)
I’m just glad that we are done with today. The Deadline has been met. The Tax Returns have been sent. For now, all is well with the world.
(Got to go, the Baby seriously needs a bath!) :)
April 9, 2007
Happy One Year to You!!!
I say that to my 3 and a half-month-old son, because a year ago today our prayer was heard and God created our little Caleb Nathaniel. His life and our journey as parents began a year ago. We recognized then that a new soul has entered this world and that soul is alive and eternal, just as our “older” souls are alive. We knew that no matter what happened in the next 9 months, God has given us a child, an eternal inheritance, whom we would meet one day. That day came 9 months later with the birth of our son on Christmas Eve - God’s Christmas gift to us.
Yesterday, we celebrated Christ’s resurrection and our new life in Him. We have the hope of a million tomorrows, because He conquered death and the grave – He lives!
Today, on this beautiful spring day, we rejoice in Caleb’s life. A year ago, his life began. What a blessing his little life has been to us already! He is sweetly sleeping on my lap right now and as I look down at him, I am filled with love and gratitude... and wonder. You have lived a whole year, Little One! Did you know that?
April 2, 2007
Mr. Caleb goes to Washington
We are back from our first trip with Caleb! We had a great time and Caleb did wonderfully. I think we managed well with baby too. This is how our trip went:
Saturday – We left a little later than we had planned, and it took us 4 hours to get there instead of 3 (because we had to stop for a longer time to feed him). Ron and I alternated driving, while one of us sat with Caleb in the back. We finally arrived in Washington and after a bit of circling around (oh, those one-way streets!), found our hotel. After a bit of resting (and another feeding), we geared up, strapped baby on daddy in the Baby Björn and headed out to see the city. It was already about 5 o’clock and we had only a couple of hours before the Museum of Natural History was closing, so we decided to hit that first. After the museum, we hiked down the Mall, passing the Washington Monument, and hitting the memorials (Lincoln, World War II, Korean War, etc.). It was already getting dark at this time, but many people were out and about. The weather was nice, not too chilly, but there was a cool breeze blowing. Something amazing happened during this long trek. Caleb was so astonished at all the sights that he forgot to eat! Our Big Eater forgot that he was hungry! He was looking all around with wide eyes, taking everything in, and there was not a sound from him. It was 8:00, 8:30, then 9:00, and I was like, what time is it, because the last time he ate was at 5:00!!! (He normally eats every 2 hours when he’s awake.) I think that he was really enjoying new things to see, the lit-up monuments, being out in the dark cool air, and being carried by daddy! We have an inquisitive child on our hands! We were so glad that he was enjoying this new thing that we were doing and adjusting to the change of routine so well! So we hiked about 10 miles that night, which is no small task with a 15 pound child strapped to you (not to mention the luggage we were hauling). At the end, I took over with the sling, to allow for a change of position for him and for easier feeding with a bottle (and to give daddy a little break).
We got back to our hotel, nursed him a bit, and went back out again for dinner. (There were many wonderful restaurants within blocks of us.) We found a little family-friendly Italian restaurant 2 blocks down and proceeded to order dinner, when Caleb started fussing. So I took him outside for a while to try to calm him, but I knew that we had pushed it; it was past his bedtime and he was tired, wanting to breastfeed himself to sleep. We debated whether I should do that. We decided against it, just because this would have been the first time nursing him in public and we felt a bit uncomfortable about it (we didn’t even have a booth). So he fussed a bit, as we ate fast and took some of the food to go. Well, as we were getting ready to wrap it up, our poor child had a good spit up (all over mommy’s coat) and then he was fine. The whole fussy period lasted about 20 minutes. Oh, well. We probably fed him too much formula today, which he is not used to. We didn’t exactly have the kind of romantic dinner we are used to having, but considering we had a 3 month old with us, at least we had a dinner! We took my food back up to our room and we opened a bottle of wine, while Caleb slept soundly. It was already close to midnight and although we had started out late, we managed to have a full day of activities!
Sunday - We got up fairly early, but it took us about 2 hours to get ready to go. The hotel allowed us to keep our car valet parked throughout the day, although we checked out in the morning. We had to pack our bag even more carefully, knowing that we wouldn’t get back to our car and needed everything with us today. Wow, the sheer amount of STUFF you need to pack for the day with a 3 month old! We finally headed out, looking like a Christmas tree, carrying 2 baby carriers, all of the necessary diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, bottled waters, etc. We wanted to visit the International Spy Museum, but they were already sold out for that hour and the next, so we headed down to Chinatown and found a wonderful Thai restaurant, where we had a very nice lunch (I had marinated duck in a coconut milk-curry sauce). After lunch, we headed to the Air and Space Museum, which we toured in about 2 hours. (I had to give up on my IMAX film “To Fly” because the lines were just enormous, and we didn’t want to wait.) We sat down on a bench on the Mall afterwards for our very first public nursing experience. It went well and we were off to the National Art Gallery. Our one complaint about the museums was that they were being HEATED! The weather was comfortably cool outside and with the throngs of people visiting the museums (due to the Cherry Blossom Festival) they should have been air-conditioned. If we looked like a Christmas tree before this, even more so now with our coats draped over our bags/shoulders, as we toured the art galleries. One thing that was different from being there some 20 (and even 10) years ago was the security at the museums. This time, they were searching everyone’s bags and had metal detectors set up, which slowed everything down. Well, at least they were keeping us safe. When we finished touring the museum, we set down on the Mall again to feed Caleb and had an interesting (although well-timed) out-of-doors diaper changing experience on a bench. As it was getting late, we decided to run into the Smithsonian Castle, then head back to the hotel. It was about 6 o’clock by the time we left Washington. Again, it took us over 4 hours to get home, because of the extra long stop.
All in all, we had a good first trip (a “testing the waters” trip, really) and we are very proud of our 3 month old baby for taking things in stride. He did amazingly well and enjoyed observing everything, much like an older kid would, which was really cool. I think he’s going to be a fine traveler as he grows. We will teach him fine restaurant dining manners and we should be able to take him anywhere in the future. Yet, I would trade a thousand nice dinners for the chance to have him in our lives. He is such a joy! The newest thing he’s doing is trying to talk! Well, not in full sentences... :) For the past few days, he’s been trying out his voice: babbling, squealing, and generally trying to speak. He stares at our lips move when we speak and tries to move his lips too. He surprises himself with his own voice and seems delighted by the sounds that come out. We are delighted by the sounds as well!
We are definitely tired (and a bit sore) today from the additional physical strain of carrying baby and gear around all weekend. We normally walk everywhere on our trips, so that’s what we did, but I’m glad that we have some experience with long hikes or we could have never done this. (There was a Metro and the DC Circulator right near our hotel, but we chose to forgo it.) I loved walking the city and it reminded me of how we walked the streets of Budapest. Baby slowed us down a bit by having to stop for feeding and changing breaks, but we still saw much of what we planned to see. Caleb and daddy also got a chance to really bond this weekend, as daddy was carrying him most of the time, thus they were in close proximity for long periods. Caleb was holding daddy’s hand much of the time, and was being put to sleep by daddy instead of mommy. Ron was glad that he could make his baby so happy!
The cherry trees were in bloom and they were beautiful. This was a good first trip and our nation’s capital was a fitting first destination for our little Travel Buddy. Check out the pictures from our trip in the Photo Album!
Saturday – We left a little later than we had planned, and it took us 4 hours to get there instead of 3 (because we had to stop for a longer time to feed him). Ron and I alternated driving, while one of us sat with Caleb in the back. We finally arrived in Washington and after a bit of circling around (oh, those one-way streets!), found our hotel. After a bit of resting (and another feeding), we geared up, strapped baby on daddy in the Baby Björn and headed out to see the city. It was already about 5 o’clock and we had only a couple of hours before the Museum of Natural History was closing, so we decided to hit that first. After the museum, we hiked down the Mall, passing the Washington Monument, and hitting the memorials (Lincoln, World War II, Korean War, etc.). It was already getting dark at this time, but many people were out and about. The weather was nice, not too chilly, but there was a cool breeze blowing. Something amazing happened during this long trek. Caleb was so astonished at all the sights that he forgot to eat! Our Big Eater forgot that he was hungry! He was looking all around with wide eyes, taking everything in, and there was not a sound from him. It was 8:00, 8:30, then 9:00, and I was like, what time is it, because the last time he ate was at 5:00!!! (He normally eats every 2 hours when he’s awake.) I think that he was really enjoying new things to see, the lit-up monuments, being out in the dark cool air, and being carried by daddy! We have an inquisitive child on our hands! We were so glad that he was enjoying this new thing that we were doing and adjusting to the change of routine so well! So we hiked about 10 miles that night, which is no small task with a 15 pound child strapped to you (not to mention the luggage we were hauling). At the end, I took over with the sling, to allow for a change of position for him and for easier feeding with a bottle (and to give daddy a little break).
We got back to our hotel, nursed him a bit, and went back out again for dinner. (There were many wonderful restaurants within blocks of us.) We found a little family-friendly Italian restaurant 2 blocks down and proceeded to order dinner, when Caleb started fussing. So I took him outside for a while to try to calm him, but I knew that we had pushed it; it was past his bedtime and he was tired, wanting to breastfeed himself to sleep. We debated whether I should do that. We decided against it, just because this would have been the first time nursing him in public and we felt a bit uncomfortable about it (we didn’t even have a booth). So he fussed a bit, as we ate fast and took some of the food to go. Well, as we were getting ready to wrap it up, our poor child had a good spit up (all over mommy’s coat) and then he was fine. The whole fussy period lasted about 20 minutes. Oh, well. We probably fed him too much formula today, which he is not used to. We didn’t exactly have the kind of romantic dinner we are used to having, but considering we had a 3 month old with us, at least we had a dinner! We took my food back up to our room and we opened a bottle of wine, while Caleb slept soundly. It was already close to midnight and although we had started out late, we managed to have a full day of activities!
Sunday - We got up fairly early, but it took us about 2 hours to get ready to go. The hotel allowed us to keep our car valet parked throughout the day, although we checked out in the morning. We had to pack our bag even more carefully, knowing that we wouldn’t get back to our car and needed everything with us today. Wow, the sheer amount of STUFF you need to pack for the day with a 3 month old! We finally headed out, looking like a Christmas tree, carrying 2 baby carriers, all of the necessary diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, bottled waters, etc. We wanted to visit the International Spy Museum, but they were already sold out for that hour and the next, so we headed down to Chinatown and found a wonderful Thai restaurant, where we had a very nice lunch (I had marinated duck in a coconut milk-curry sauce). After lunch, we headed to the Air and Space Museum, which we toured in about 2 hours. (I had to give up on my IMAX film “To Fly” because the lines were just enormous, and we didn’t want to wait.) We sat down on a bench on the Mall afterwards for our very first public nursing experience. It went well and we were off to the National Art Gallery. Our one complaint about the museums was that they were being HEATED! The weather was comfortably cool outside and with the throngs of people visiting the museums (due to the Cherry Blossom Festival) they should have been air-conditioned. If we looked like a Christmas tree before this, even more so now with our coats draped over our bags/shoulders, as we toured the art galleries. One thing that was different from being there some 20 (and even 10) years ago was the security at the museums. This time, they were searching everyone’s bags and had metal detectors set up, which slowed everything down. Well, at least they were keeping us safe. When we finished touring the museum, we set down on the Mall again to feed Caleb and had an interesting (although well-timed) out-of-doors diaper changing experience on a bench. As it was getting late, we decided to run into the Smithsonian Castle, then head back to the hotel. It was about 6 o’clock by the time we left Washington. Again, it took us over 4 hours to get home, because of the extra long stop.
All in all, we had a good first trip (a “testing the waters” trip, really) and we are very proud of our 3 month old baby for taking things in stride. He did amazingly well and enjoyed observing everything, much like an older kid would, which was really cool. I think he’s going to be a fine traveler as he grows. We will teach him fine restaurant dining manners and we should be able to take him anywhere in the future. Yet, I would trade a thousand nice dinners for the chance to have him in our lives. He is such a joy! The newest thing he’s doing is trying to talk! Well, not in full sentences... :) For the past few days, he’s been trying out his voice: babbling, squealing, and generally trying to speak. He stares at our lips move when we speak and tries to move his lips too. He surprises himself with his own voice and seems delighted by the sounds that come out. We are delighted by the sounds as well!
We are definitely tired (and a bit sore) today from the additional physical strain of carrying baby and gear around all weekend. We normally walk everywhere on our trips, so that’s what we did, but I’m glad that we have some experience with long hikes or we could have never done this. (There was a Metro and the DC Circulator right near our hotel, but we chose to forgo it.) I loved walking the city and it reminded me of how we walked the streets of Budapest. Baby slowed us down a bit by having to stop for feeding and changing breaks, but we still saw much of what we planned to see. Caleb and daddy also got a chance to really bond this weekend, as daddy was carrying him most of the time, thus they were in close proximity for long periods. Caleb was holding daddy’s hand much of the time, and was being put to sleep by daddy instead of mommy. Ron was glad that he could make his baby so happy!
The cherry trees were in bloom and they were beautiful. This was a good first trip and our nation’s capital was a fitting first destination for our little Travel Buddy. Check out the pictures from our trip in the Photo Album!
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