Happy 8 months to you!!!

We interrupt our coverage of Hungary to wish Caleb a Happy 8 months!

This is how he celebrated his big day.

A Hungarian holiday - I

~ Where Caleb flies on an airplane ~

So, let’s start with the beginning (and the end). The flight(s).

There: Our little traveler slept through almost the whole 8-hour transatlantic flight to Hungary. I nursed him on take-off and landing, so he didn’t have an earache from the pressure change. (Note to self: Next time, do not start nursing baby when plane begins to taxi down the runway until you are certain that take-off is imminent. Otherwise, 20 minutes later when the plane is finally cleared for take-off, you will be cajoling your already full baby to eat just a little bit more.)

This flight was wonderful. After Daddy played with him for an hour and exhausted him, Caleb was ready to settle down for a good night’s sleep. Mommy brought the Boppy pillow on the plane, so little BabyCakes knew no difference. He could have been sleeping on that pillow at home in front of the computer for all he knew, not 40,000 feet up in the air. He was so quiet that upon landing, people told us they didn’t even know there was a baby there. We just smiled and told them we had our secret.

Back: The flight back was a little different, because it was not an overnight flight, so Caleb did not sleep through. He did sleep for the first 3 hours though, including the lunch, so Mom could eat in peace (which meant a lot to her). After that, it was “pass the baby” for the next 6 hours. Caleb was in good spirits; he was boisterous, screeching with joy at the top of his lungs and laughing loudly. I think he enjoyed having both of our attentions. That flight was exhausting! But at least, he wasn't hurting and he was happy. But sheesh, was he loud! When we landed that flight, people said: “She (!) was very good.” Hey BabyCakes, there are worse things than being called a girl.

Firsts

We are back from vacation! Caleb has had many first experiences on our vacation in Hungary. He took his first ride in an airplane. He rode on the Metro, the bus, and the long-distance HEV train. He got a stroller and rode in it for the first time. He pulled himself to standing and was crazy happy at his success (at 2 in the morning, thanks to jet lag!). He swam in thermal waters, got his first haircut, and met the Hungarian side of his family. He had a lick of Ischler pastry and a lick of ice cream. He tried carbonated mineral water and liked it. He got his first mosquito bite (actually, a few) and got his first (slight) sunburn in 15 minutes on top of a castle. Oh yeah, he saw castle ruins for the first time. His grandfather took him camping for the first time, where he slept in a tent with Mom and Dad. He swam in Lake Balaton. He made his first friend (with 9 month old Domonkos) by first putting a hand on his back, and then putting his arm around his shoulder.

He’s been a very busy boy. He did so well on the trip, adjusting to all the travel and craziness we subjected him to. His routine was definitely shaken up, but he took it like a champ. He had a very good disposition throughout the vacation, despite being jet lagged and everything. He is such a happy baby and he brought so much joy to everyone who met him.

We took 1800 pictures, so I need a few days to organize them a bit. Then, I will be posting several Photo Blogs of our travels. Stay tuned!