Just Sayin'...

Morning smiles

2012-02-10T11:38:00.001-06:00

If you're happy

2012-02-08T14:06:00.001-06:00

And you know it clap your hands!

Kind of windy at the beach.

2012-02-08T14:04:00.001-06:00

Are we there yet??

2012-02-07T15:04:00.000-06:00

First day!

2012-02-02T19:03:00.001-06:00

Looks like someone is loving the pool.

Quick update

2012-01-31T22:22:00.003-06:00

This little munchkin had his 9 month appointment today. He's fit as a fiddle and developing right on track. He is still a bit iron deficient, but so is his mama so I'm not too concerned. We will continue with the vitamins and giving him more iron rich foods.

He grew (again) - His head was 18 inches (in line with previous measurements and keeping him around the 60th percentile) and he grew another TWO inches! That makes him 31 inches long (still off the charts) and he's just a little bit heavier. He was 21 pounds even at his 6 month appointment and now he's 22 lbs, 10 ounces (that dropped him down to the 80th percentile). It looks like I won't be getting that Michelin baby I wanted. He's leaning out and as he gets more active and mobile it looks like he'll continue to do so. The doctor even commented on how he will start looking more toddler-esque and I already am starting to see it.

Adelia took him to the aquarium last week and sent these pictures. Definitely more toddler than baby! Eek.

Standing

I think there's a joke somewhere about being on a boat...

Getting ready to row

Loving all the fish

And I swear, these pictures were taken last week and I think he looks bigger already. One day he woke up from a monster nap and he just seemed bigger -especially his feet! He's got his daddy's big feet.

When babies attack

2012-01-30T08:17:00.001-06:00

It starts off all sweet and innocent...

Someone thinks he's big time

2012-01-27T10:31:00.001-06:00

Callan has been perfecting his standing skills and he's getting more confident. He's itching to walk, but other than a few involuntary stumbles, he's still just cruising.

Sorry kiddo, mama has tough standards before she agrees that you've reached milestones. Everyone claimed you rolled much earlier than I will give you credit for so your first steps are still to be determined.

I love this picture because it looksl ike you're surfing.

And I also swear your legs aren't that short. Your pants are just too big (and probably falling down in these pictures).

9 months in, 9 months out

2012-01-24T13:16:00.000-06:00

Dear C-

Today you turned 9 months old... holy moly, how did that happen? 9 months sounds like a totally legit age and way closer to 1 than I am comfortable with right now. I remember being pregnant with you like it was yesterday... and in reality, it was a whole lifetime ago. I catch myself saying I just had a baby, but that's really not true anymore (although to be cheesy, you'll always be my baby. haha)

You've had an amazing month and we've had amazing times together. You are really turning into this little boy with lots of personality. You've got teeth (currently 5, with 2 poking the surface and I'm hoping that's what is causing your current sleep issues, because, man, mama's tired since you won't let your dad get you at night!), you can cruise the furniture, stand up, crawl, babble, clap and wave -all reminders that you are cruising towards toddlerhood at lightening fast speed. Even your radish top is gone! The hair on the top of your head used to grow straight up and your dad said it looked like a radish top, now it's so long that it's fallen down and growing like normal hair. You are so fun and it is so amazing to watch you develop, but I always feel like I'm missing things and wish you'd reach your milestones a little slower -or at least spread them out a bit.

Your personality just continues to grow and grow. You're always on the move and so curious. We have to be extra vigilant with you now that you have the dexterity to pick up the tiny things on the floor that you see. You're quick and you know you're not supposed to be putting it in your mouth b/c you'll look directly at us while doing it as if testing our speed at fishing things out of your mouth. So far it's been benign, just paper and lint and an old cheerio or two, but that's mostly because we keep you locked up in your cage (joking, sort of). You love to climb (mostly on your toys and on mama), you love to play with the cars and to push all the buttons on your toys and knock things over -which really reminds me of how you are all boy (not to say a girl wouldn't or couldn't like these things too).

You're determined and stubborn and definitely know what you want and will squeal in protest when something is taken away from you or things aren't as you would like them. I'm hoping this little personality quirk is a phase because I cannot be responsible for a bratty kid! But at the same time, you are one of the most chill babies I know. You started swim class this month and I'm kind of proud to admit that you are the only baby that hasn't cried yet. You love the pool and splashing and don't seem to mind the water at all (even when mama is a little careless and lets your face go under giving your dad a heart attack each time). You do this cute thing when you get excited and you'll have something in your hand and you'll put it over your head and just grin and squeeze it so tight, it's like you're trying to will your arms to lift you up. You're desperate to stand up unassisted from sitting, but so far you've just taken to bouncing, which is ineffective, but adorable. You still haven't figured out pockets and will still carry things around in your mouth, which I have to give you credit for your resourcefulness. You're a happy boy and love to smile and laugh and seeing how your face lights up in the morning or when I get home from work just melts my heart every time.

There's so much that's happened this past month and I have loved every minute of it. I'm still sad about the baby part of you that's gone, but that pales in comparison over the excitement of finding out about the boy you're becoming.

I love you and I can't believe I've know you on the outside now as long as I knew you on the inside... 9 months in, 9 months out... what an adventure it has been.

Love,
Mama

(Just to note: I actully had this written on time (Sunday), but your dad was out of town and he had all the pictures!)

These are pictures from the past month. There's a lot because I couldn't filter out my favorites.

eating Christmas Eve dinner at Hema's

Christmas morning

Opening a present from Santa

You love Daddy, but not in the middle of the night!

What a ham

Your usual sunny disposition

snazzy Christmas outfit

First Christmas

Always happy in the highchair

stuck in the cage

Can't believe how tall you are -these are 12 month pjs and we're kind of just jamming you in there.

Love this toy -thanks uncle Matt & aunt Nat

Love the cars -thanks Luke for sharing!

Learning to share with Ellis

SWIMMING!

Everyone's favorite time

2012-01-22T08:53:00.001-06:00

Snack time!

What hams

2012-01-19T20:49:00.000-06:00

Whenever I'm having a really crummy day at work, Adelia must sense it and will send me a picture that puts a huge smile on my face.

Callan (and Luke) are getting to the age where they can finally start interacting and Adelia sent us the funniest pictures of them the last few days and I can only imagine how much fun these boys are going to have as they get older.

Even though I sometimes fantasize about having enough money to hire a nanny full-time on our own I realize how great and beneficial that interaction with another baby is for Callan.

Yesterday they were playing peek-a-boo around the activity table and I can hear and imagine the squeals of laughter coming from Callan.

She sent another picture of them playing at the table again.

Callan got this dolphin pillow pet from Adelia for Christmas and he's taken to snuggling with it... He's adorable when he does it and I love it -what a ham. I love these boys!

Roundup

2012-01-19T06:03:00.000-06:00

I feel like it's been pretty light around here with content and it's not necessarily a lack of things to blog about... more a lack of time and creativity. I definitely have lots to say, but now that I've actually sat down to type this I can't really think of anything. Great. This is a pointless post! haha.

Ok, let's do a catch up of things that have happened...
Callan's first Christmas. I realized that other than a short little video of Callan opening his Christmas present from Santa I have a lack of material commemorating such an event. For shame! I personally love Christmas. I love the lights, the music, the crisp cold air, the snow, Christmas trees and wrapping paper. It's true -I love wrapping paper and wrapping presents. Although I often succumb to using gift bags, I'm a little sad about how they're replacing wrapped gifts. My dream job in high school was to be a wrapper at Bloomingdales or Neiman Marcus.... all the different papers on rolls on the wall and the beautiful ribbon and adornments really beckoned me. But, alas, I never was a wrapper there and now a girl can only dream. (wow, that was quite the sidebar there!) Anyway, our first Christmas with Callan was also our first Christmas in Chicago. This was the first year in 8 years that I haven't travelled at Christmas. As glad as I was to not rush around and hop on flights to Boston and Montreal, I was a little sad to not be with family this year. But, it was nice to be here in Chicago and to celebrate our first Christmas together at a leisurely pace. We went out to dinner Christmas Eve with our friends, Akiko and Jeff, Mike, Stace and Lucy, and Amy, Eric and Logan to Indian food. Callan was a trooper and seemed to enjoy it a little bit more than he did the last time. Christmas morning was spent at home opening presents and skyping/facetiming with our families back east and then Huge cooked a delicious dinner for us and some friends, Yogesh and Ming, Denis and Anaar. We had a relaxing meal and spent some time playing with Callan and hanging out. Yogesh and Ming made really tasty hot Toddie's (which reminds me that I need to drink more of them) and an equally delicious dessert (that I enjoyed for many days after). Even from afar we were spoiled and I still can't believe Christmas has come and gone already!

After Christmas comes New Year's Eve and this year we spent at home celebrating with Tara, Craig and Ellis and Akiko and Jeff. Craig and Huge whipped up a delicious (and decadent) dinner and Craig, owner of Perman Wine Selections, paired everything with fantastic wines. I felt like we ate for 10 hours, but every bite was totally worth it. I love hanging out with friends while eating and drinking delicious things, so this was a great way to kick out 2011 and ring in 2012.

But an even better way to ring in the new year is spending the day at the spa! And that is exactly what I did. As part of our Christmas presents, Tara and I received a day at the spa at the Elysian Hotel. Oh my goodness, it was an amazing day. We decided that unless one of us is preggos, we are starting every year that way. We each got pedicures and one hour massages and relaxed in the hot tubs, eucalyptus steam room and sauna. After spending the entire morning there we ate a really delicious lunch at Balsan and then spent a little bit of time walking around enjoying our freedom. By the time I got home the boys were both waking up from their afternoon naps (well one of them was still sleeping) and then Callan and I hopped in a cab to go visit our friend Angela who was in town from London.

Since then, nothing really exciting has happened to me. I'm back at work and I keep telling everyone around me that my motto for the year is "new year, new attitude, new me", but I'm thinking it's more for my benefit than anything else. It's one of those "fake it until you make it" mantras, and maybe if I say it enough, it'll be true. So far, no dice, but for a few days it was blissful.

Callan has started his swim class and he is really enjoying it. They are only 30 minutes long, but he hasn't cried yet (and nearly every other baby there has). The first class he was a little skeptical about it all and although he didn't cry, he was definitely a little wary of everything going on and only started splashing around at the very end. The second class he warmed up much quicker and was splashing for most of the class (unfortunately for the little boy next to us). I think Callan is a natural and we'll have a lot of fun in the water together. He's not afraid to get his face wet and has been dunked (accidentally -oops) a couple of times and he did fine. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks and then we'll get to go swimming every day on our vacation! Another sidebar -this past week there were 5 other babies at the lesson all of whom were about the same age as Callan and they were ALL boys! But, the point of this was that there were 4 other babies there with both parents in attendance. I for some reason assumed that all the moms would be in the water and the dads would merely be spectators. Boy was I wrong. It was me in the pool with all the dads! Huge was with me and I joked with him that it kind of made sense that I was in the water instead of him because all the moms were at the edge of the pool taking pictures and calling out to their husbands to be careful/watch out for the baby/etc... really being backseat drivers and all the guys were real laid back telling the wives to not worry. Yup... that's definitely us -Huge worried and me telling him it's fine. haha.

Well this post has turned out to be way too long and kind of boring. I guess if you made it this far you deserve a picture.

Fun family picture c/o iPhone

OH my goodness. In my ramblings I forgot to mention that Callan's newest friend was born. Haruki Alexander Martin! He's gorgeous and tiny. I love him already.

I can't believe Callan was that small just a few short months ago!

I think they're already best buds.

Dad and me

2012-01-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

Waiting for the bus... Brr, it's cold out!

Snow pants and a wet suit

2012-01-14T12:45:00.000-06:00

Swimming in Chicago!

#Technology Fail

2012-01-12T10:34:00.000-06:00

So I realize I'm about 7 years behind on this, but I've decided to start listening to podcasts on my way to work. As part of my "new year, new me" plan I decided that I need to get more informed about current events and things going on in the world (outside of the celebrity gossip/blogging world). However, I don't really understand how podcasts work. How do I get them to automatically load onto my iphone? Do I need to sync my phone everyday, because if that's the case, this probably won't last very long... I sync my phone about once every 3 months (much to my husband's chagrin). So can someone help me? Or point me in the right direction because I would like to be able to talk about current events without sounding dumb!

Fun with the camera

2012-01-10T21:03:00.000-06:00

Learning to catch

2012-01-08T22:27:00.001-06:00

He definitely doesn't get it, but he's having fun "learning" (even when dad was being a little mean).

I haven't posted a video in awhile, but this was with the wait.

Swim class!

2012-01-07T14:22:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't love ribs?

2012-01-06T15:06:00.000-06:00

Another year, another set of resolutions

2012-01-04T13:06:00.000-06:00

It's a few days into the new year and it's time to set my new year's resolutions! Let's see, last year I recapped my 2010 goals and set new ones for 2011 -so let's keep the tradition alive and do it again!

2011 resolutions:
1. Working out -hm, I wrote that I planned on sticking with it and to run a half marathon or two that year. I honestly don't even remember that being a goal of mine (especially considering I was making that a goal of mine this year!), but needless to say, I didn't run any races. I'm going to pretend it's because I had a baby this year instead (and don't they say giving birth is like running a marathon?), but it is probably more because I didn't remember even having that goal!

2. Lose the weight -I talked about losing the baby weight and I can say that I successfully did that. I gained an incredible amount of weight (50+lbs) and came very close to hitting the 200 lb mark!, but by Dec 31st, I had successfully lost all the baby weight.

3. Hobby -ya, there was no hobby last year...

4. Organize my house -this is an ongoing goal... and most of the time I'm on the losing end. But, I'm going to just blame my husband for this... he is a slob!

So those were my 2011 goals and I would say I did about half of them (sort of?). Now on to 2012! I'm a few days behind, but my goals for this year are very similar to last year.

1. Work out! Or get back to running.
My goal is to run half marathon this year. I've talked about it a lot (and even more than I remember since it was a goal last year), but this is the year I actually do it. I'm sure I'll update you on it and if I see you in real life I'll probably talk about it a lot... so humor me and tell me how big of an accomplishment this will be. As part of this plan I figure I can commit to working out 3 times a week and attending hot yoga once a week.

2. Lose weight! Or finally get to my goal weight.
I'm hoping that training and running this half marathon will help with this goal, but I'm sort of remembering how running turns me into a ravenous beast, so I'll have to figure out a way to not allow running from preventing me from reaching this goal (I am SOO close -and it's only Jan 4th -I have a whole year ahead of me!).

3. Organize my house! Or finally start living like an adult.
This is the term I use when I'm complaining to Huge about the state of our house -we need to start living like adults. I shouldn't have to step over a pile of laundry to get to the bathroom (not that I do now...) but we need to seriously purge and organize our house. An organized house leads to an organized life.

4. Stop stressing about work! Or work less.
I'm sure this doesn't need explanation. I would just like to work regular hours. And not feel like logging off at midnight is slacking (it's not in a normal world).

I think that's it. Oh ya, and this:

Although, I think I can already check that one off my list!

Am I missing anything? What else should I work on this year?

2011 survey

2012-01-02T10:57:00.002-06:00

This is the survey I did this to recap 2010, and I thought it would be fun to do it for 2011!

What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?I had a baby! You'll probably get bored of this answer as I will probably talk about it a lot (not that I don't already), but it was the biggest thing I did in 2011.
Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I honestly didn't remember making resolutions last year, but lucky for me, I actually wrote them down (in this here blog), and I was somewhat successful. I am making resolutions for this year -I like to have goals for the year and I'll write about them later.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
YES! I did! and a bunch of my friends, including my best friend Lisa who gave birth to an adorable little girl Mabel in February.
Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, No.
What countries did you visit?
This year was pretty quiet in terms of international travel (due to that baby we had in April), but we went to Canada, but again, my husband is from there and his family is still there so that doesn't really count (and it's Canada, it's kind of like the 51st state, right?).
What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
I would like to feel more balanced -with work, life and family.
What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Obviously April 22 -my baby's birthday. July 29th -the day I went back to work and then baby's first holidays (Thanksgiving & Christmas)
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I had a baby -I'm not sure if that really qualifies as a big achievement, but I'm taking credit for having a pretty awesome baby.
What was your biggest failure?
Hmm, that's hard. I've spent some time worrying about things not in my control and I've let things overwhelm me and distract me from what is important.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, knock on wood I have had a healthy year.
What was the best thing you bought?
I can't even remember what I bought this year.
Whose behavior merited celebration?
As always, my family and friends –they are all truly amazing.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
This is the same answer as last year: No one. I think I surround myself with good people and therefore no appalling or depressing behavior to worry about from them.
Where did most of your money go?
Food/eating out and of course, the baby (and baby related expenses).
What did you get really excited about?
Becoming a mom and creating this family. I think we're doing pretty well and it is only going to get better from here.
Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) happier
b) Thinner–by some miracle I have lost all my baby weight and then some. Now I'm just a few pounds away from my goal weight.
c) monetarily poorer, but in life, richer.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I kept in touch better with friends and family. Although I may not talk to or see them very often, I do think about them a lot. I wish I travelled more to see them because I do miss them a lot.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I worked less hours and stressed less about our fictitious family budget (stole that from last year's answer, but it's true and I'm sure 2012 is not going to ease the budget issues at all).
How did you spend Christmas?
This was the first year we didn't travel for Christmas. We stayed home and had some friends over for Christmas dinner. It was nice to be at home and relax, but not seeing everyone at Christmas was a little sad.
Did you fall in love in 2011?
Cue the cheesy music: I fell in love with Callan, fell more in love with Huge and with the family we've created together.
What was your favorite TV program?
Let's see, this year my tv roster includes, the Real Housewives franchise (current fave is Beverly Hills), the Good Wife, NCIS and NCIS: LA (although they're kind of losing my interest), Parenthood, Suits (so good!) and most recently Game of Thrones.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No, I can't really say I hate anyone. I think hating is a waste and if you really dislike someone that much, you shouldn't waste your time and energy on them.
What was the best book you read?
Yikes, I can't even remember what books I read this year. I swear I did read, but obviously nothing really amazing.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Music isn't my thing. I think my musical repertoire has been stalled since 2003.
What did you want and get?
A healthy baby.
What did you want and not get?
A get rich quick scheme or the ability to retire.

What was your favorite film of this year?
I just saw the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and loved it. I didn't see too many movies in the theaters this year (planning on changing that next year) and we didn't watch as many movies at home as we normally do.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I didn't do anything on my birthday. Huge was at a conference in Champagne-Urbana and Callan really dropped the ball and didn't remember to plan anything -he claimed he was just a baby, but I think that's no excuse!
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
2011 was a pretty great year for me. I'm sure there were some down moments, but I like to focus on the positives and I'm not really disappointed with the year. I guess if I worked less or had the ability to work normal hours, that would make my life more satisfying.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

I'm going to say boring. I'm bored to tears at my wardrobe right now, but I'm not feeling overly inspired by what I see in the stores. I think I'm going to have to branch out from my Gap/BR/JCrew/Ann Taylor routine.

What kept you sane?

My husband, my family, my friends (who are my family) and my baby.
What political issue stirred you the most?

Not super political, so I'll pass on this.
Who did you miss?

I miss my friends who live far away and my family (who also live far away).
Who was the best new person you met?

Well the cop out answer is Callan. But I'll also say the Adams' -Shelby, Mike and Luke have made a great addition to our circle,
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

There is only so much you can control and instead of wallowing in self-pity it's more productive to come up with a plan for change.

Another day with dad...

2011-12-31T00:34:00.001-06:00

Huge has been home with Callan the last two days and to say I'm jealous is an understatement. I mean, really, look at this face. So much better than that tps report...

Lunch!

2011-12-27T12:29:00.000-06:00

Eating lunch with Adelia. I love how happy he is -that's pretty much how I feel too.

Opening his first present

2011-12-25T10:13:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone. I'm hoping to do a comprehensive post about Christmas, but for now here's a video of Callan opening his first Christmas present from Santa! (It's a little boring, but I needed to take it for posterities sake).

Merry Christmas! Hope Santa was good to you and that you are spending this day with people you love.

Crazy Eights!

2011-12-23T09:37:00.000-06:00

Dear Callan-
You are now 8 months old. Holy cow, how did that happen? This year has flown by at an incredible speed and I know it only goes faster from here. You had an amazing month, as you do most months, and each day is more fun than the last. You're at this point where you definitely aren't a baby and not quite a toddler, but you have tons of personality.

Your personality is so fun and I love imagining what it is you're thinking sometimes. You are so curious. Everyone comments on that -you hear noises and you'll immediately perk up and try to figure out where it's coming from. You see a speck on the floor and you need to investigate. A new texture or anything out of "place" you need to figure out. It's nice to know that you have good hearing and excellent eyesight, but does your exploration always have to conclude with you putting it in your mouth?!? You are definitely very tactile and love touching things, but why does the touching have to extend to your tongue? I try to tell myself you're just building your immune system, but when you tried to hoover the bottom of your tub to figure out what that blue spot was at the bottom (spoiler alert, it's the temperature gauge) I just thank my lucky stars that your dirty bath water was already drained.

You are a mover and a shaker and will.not.sit.still. Changing you used to be a quick and easy process, but now you are not content to just lie there. You need to sit, stand, crawl, pull up, roll over, really anything other than relax. You've been like this for awhile, but I was really hoping it was a phase. On the floor you love crawling your peg-legged crawl and you are such a boy and will crawl over, around and on top of anything in your way. You also love standing and trying to let go to stand on your own, but you're not quite there yet. You cruise on the furniture and on the gate, but you are a little cautious and it's funny to watch you try to determine the distance you can reach out with your other hand. There's such intense concentration that you can almost see the wheels turning in your brain -if only there were thought bubbles so we could see exactly what you are thinking. It's funny that you're cautious about that, because for everything else, you are a daredevil and have no fear. Given the opportunity you'd be willing to crawl right off the side of the bed, couch, changing table or anything where you could fall. Most babies love "flying", but your favorite part is when you fly and then the person pretends to drop you. Or when people scare you.. you will jump a little and you can tell you got scared, but then you'll start laughing.

Speaking of laughing, you are one of the smiliest, giggliest babies I know and I love that about you. Even when you're having a crummy day you still are able to let out a few laughs and smiles. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right. This past month has been crazy for me at work and I sometimes only get home to see you to bed, but those snuggles you give out are amazing and I hope you never get too old to do that. You've also learned to wave hello and good bye (we think) and you always wave with a smile. I love that. We're also trying to teach you to kiss and you sometimes will when prompted, but often times it's a messy slobbery kiss -we'll have to work on that! One of the funniest things you'll do is try to kiss someone through the slats of your crib or through the gate. I told your dad that it'll be a good skill to know when you're in jail, but he didn't think that was funny.

You're also talking/babbling a lot this month. You definitely have "mama" down and we think you're using it correctly as you'll often scream for me and once I'm there, you'll calm down. I guess that separation anxiety kicked in this month because you will fuss a bit when I leave you or walk away. I do know it is short lived because once I'm out of sight, you're ok. It's still tough for your dad to put you to bed at night or to comfort you when you wake up because you will scream for your mama and will not be happy until I arrive. You did manage to say "dada"a few times, but you're not saying it with the same consistency as "mama". You should really throw your dad a bone and start saying it more often.

Eating has been about the same. We consistently do dinner with you and you love food, especially finger foods. Given the choice between oatmeal/applesauce/yogurt or finger foods, you will pick finger foods every time. I think after Christmas you'll start doing lunch with Adelia because Luke will be starting lunch and I know you won't tolerate being excluded from the fun.

This month you got to see Santa. You are obviously too young to understand Christmas and the hoopla around Santa, but you were a good baby and we got your first picture. You had just woken up from your nap and you weren't up for smiling quite yet, but you didn't cry and you were definitely more fascinated with this guy with a beard. This year's picture was definitely more for mom (and the grandparents) than it was for you, but I'm glad we got it since I sometimes feel like we miss out on doing those typical "first" things.

I can't believe 2011 is almost over and that you're already 8 months old. Looking back on the past year, we (as a family) have been blessed with many things, but the one most obvious blessing has been you. You are a complete joy and it has been fun to watch you grow and develop, to see your dad be a dad and to see us grow as a family.

We aren't traveling to Boston or Montreal this year (for the first time) and although that makes me sad, I'm excited to start our own family traditions. They say Christmas is better when you have kids, and I know for sure my Christmas is better this year because of you.

Merry Christmas and happy 8 months bubs. You are the best and I love you. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings.

Love,
Mama

Who needs pants?

2011-12-22T10:59:00.000-06:00

Not this guy. It's pantless Thursday!

Who

2011-12-17T13:30:00.001-06:00

Who was more excited to see Santa?

Guess this is why overalls are so popular

2011-12-13T23:16:00.000-06:00

Callan has an atypical crawl where instead if using both knees he used one knee and one foot. This doesn't pose any problem for him and he is surprisingly mobile for someone with essentially a limp. However, recently he's been crawling out of his pants and he doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. I guess this is why overalls are so popular with the kiddos.

Best Picture

2011-12-12T21:44:00.002-06:00

Huge took this picture today and I don't know what makes me laugh more, the picture itself or the caption Huge put on the picture. Man these boys are cute (but seriously, how big is Callan? These boys are only 10 days apart!).

In my head, it's as if the two of them are up to no good and they just got caught red-handed. Luke is thinking to himself "oh shit" while Callan grabs his hand and thinks "okay, whatever you do, don't tell them."

Yum, yum

2011-12-06T18:16:00.001-06:00

Having some broccoli and pasta for dinner.

Fighting the funk...

2011-12-01T13:20:00.001-06:00

Recently I have subtly been fighting the funk (although if you ask Huge it probably hasn’t been so subtle because the poor guy has been getting the brunt of it). Things at work aren’t the greatest and I just feel like my life is a mess (in a disorganized kind of way). Work is "messy", my house is "messy" (although that one probably doesn’t need quotes, it actually IS a mess) and therefore my life seems messy. Nothing is actually wrong, it’s just been little things that have been building up and causing me to stress and feel out of balance.

For those of you that know me, I’m not one to stress about things. One of my strong suits (in my opinion) is my ability to stay pretty level headed and pragmatic, but somehow this snuck up on me and it all came to a head last night. I was in a BAD mood –I was stuck at work later than I wanted to be (again), I felt like I was not getting what I need to be getting done at work but I am also unwilling to work 12 hour days and my frustration level hit its peak. I ended up yelling at poor Huge and I realized that something has to give. Part of the problem is that I’m still trying to find that work/life balance. I thought I would be better at it by now, but I have to realize that I’ve only been back to work for 4 months and I need to cut myself some slack. I also need to find a way to make work more manageable because, like I said before, I’m not willing to work 12+ hour days and to be honest, I would love a 9-5, but I’ll settle for a 9-10 hour day and maybe I just need to manage my expectations more.

On top of the stress of work, I’m also subconsciously stressed about the upcoming year. As excited as I am for Huge’s new venture, it also scares me. I’ve always been the "bread winner" in our relationship and although I am more than happy to relinquish that title (anytime now), I’m ok with it. But with Huge starting his own business, it makes my responsibility that much greater (and if you refer to what I said earlier, that area of my life isn’t going the smoothest). So I think we just need to get on the same page about what our plans are (financially) for the upcoming year and how he envisions his schedule to be. I’ve never been real co-dependent on Huge, probably due to our extended long-distance relationship, but I do enjoy spending time with him and would love to have some family time. So although the traveling aspect of his job doesn’t bother me too much, I’m worried about the time he’ll be spending on projects while he’s home now that he won’t have regular business hours.

I realize that there are a lot of variables that I can’t control now and instead need to focus on those aspects I can. I need to find more balance in my life and to declutter the mess and the best way to do that is to make a plan of attack, and a list! (I love lists.) First, I need to figure out some time to exercise. I haven’t done hot yoga in a long time, but I remember how much I loved it. It was hard, but after class I always remember how I felt detoxed, relaxed and accomplished. There’s a studio near the house that does evening classes at either 7:30 or 8:30 and if I can commit to going once a week, I think that will do a lot in terms of getting my balance back. I also should get back to running, but I think for now I’m just going to commit to a once weekly yoga class. Second, I made a date with Huge to sit down and make a plan in regards to our finances and our plan for next year. And then finally, I’m going to get into the Christmas spirit. I love the holidays and all the hoopla that surrounds them (the lights, the music, the food, family/friends, etc) and for some reason I haven’t embraced it this year. But, I’m going to. We have plans to decorate on Sunday and we put together a last minute Christmas Open House… so gosh darn it, I’m going to get in the holiday spirit!

Now I’ve acknowledged the funk and made a plan to fight it, I already feel a thousand times better. Now if only those knots in my neck and back would disappear as well… I should take a page out of this kid's book. Look how relaxed he is –he fell asleep on the swing!

Guess he knows what no means...

2011-11-30T09:01:00.001-06:00

Callan tried to reach for Adelia's soup and she said no. This was the reaction she got! Poor kid -he just wanted a taste of deliciousness.

First family Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T21:32:00.002-06:00

Callan looks a little dubious here, but I swear he had a great first Thanksgiving.

Day with dad

2011-11-25T11:15:00.001-06:00

While Adelia is fighting the crowds of black Friday and mama is working, Callan gets to spend the day with dad...
So far, so good.

Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T08:22:00.000-06:00

I was hoping to get the perfect picture to accompany Callan's first Thanksgiving post but I was too busy enjoying the day to get it. Hope everyone had a great turkey day and hope you got to spend it with people you love (or at least thinking about them).

Callan, Huge and I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and this time of year always makes me a little more sentimental than normal. Thanksgiving kicks off the start of the crazy holiday season and it's easy to get caught up in the huddle and bustle. But try to remember the spirit of the holidays and remember all you have to be thankful for and remember to give those you love a little extra squeeze (after yesterday's food-stravaganza there's a little bit more of me to squeeze! Now excuse me while I try to keep my eyes open at work today. Looks like that fancy venti holiday coffee is calling my name...what's a few more calories?)

Dear Callan -SEVEN!

2011-11-22T22:28:00.037-06:00

Dear Bubs-
Today is your seven month birthday. Holy moly, 7 months? You're a bonna fide child now. How the heck did that happen? I guess I should get a refund on that time freezing machine I bought on QVC. This month has been ridiculous, but in the best way possible.

You got to go back to Boston to visit Nana and Papa as well as some of mama's friends this past month. While we were there you got to have a play date with Mabel. She's a few months older than you, but you are about the same size! It was so fun to see you guys play together and it made me wish we lived closer.

Teasing Mabel

Showing Mable the intricacies of the box

You loved the faces Nate was making

You've got such a personality and I love watching it develop. You are such a happy kid and I'm taking all the credit for it! People might try to tell you it's inherent, but I think it's due to your amazing parents! You still love bath time and love splashing around in your yellow ducky tub. At some point we'll need to transition you to the big tub and you'll probably lose your mind with the space you'll have to splash around. You don't mind water in your face (which makes washing your hair a breeze) and I can't wait to take you swimming, although it could be dangerous since you have no fear. One of the (many) cute things I love about you is your crazy hair. Dad calls it your radish top as it sticks straight out from the top of your head. I'm a little sad because it's starting to fall down and that is just one more thing from your "babyhood" that is almost gone.

We've slowly been introducing solids to you via baby led weaning. Although your main source of nutrition is still milk, it's been fun watching you discover food. You only have two teeth (the bottom ones) but you've done lots of vegetables and some meat and so far you seem to be enjoying all of it (except for curry, you've tried it a couple of times and have not been a fan). We incorporated some baby oatmeal into your diet in an attempt to get you some additional vitamins and iron (after we were reprimanded by the doctor) and since we also started some finger foods with you, we figure you'll also get some in the dry cereal. We haven't tried Cheerios yet, but right now rice Chex are a favorite of yours -I think you enjoy the crunch. Most days we do one meal (usually dinner although it's probably not even a full meal with you) and if we go out on the weekends we'll do those meals as well. You are so well behaved in restaurants and people are so impressed with you as you'll sit there and "eat" while everyone else does too. To be honest, I'm loving this baby led weaning thing because it allows you to feed yourself and frees up my hands so I can eat too (yes, your mama's a piggy)!

I think you have a little something on your face

We are also giving you a little bit of water or milk during dinner and it's so cute to watch you drink (or attempt to drink) from a cup. I wanted to try and avoid the sippy cup since that's just another thing to wean you from, so we've been doing either a straw or a real cup and a shot glass is the perfect size for you to hold.

Something to quench your thirst

A quiet moment of play -where you're not moving!

Physically you've done a lot this past month and you're developing at lightening speed. It's funny because you were a little "late" to the rolling, and I was convinced you could do it, but you just didn't want to. Well to prove me wrong, you seemed to go at lightening speed once you decided to become mobile and you went from rolling, to crawling to standing and now you're attempting to master walking, but hopefully that is still MONTHS away -seriously, months because mama can't handle you not being a baby. I joke with people that I trip you when you try to walk, but don't worry, I'm not really doing that (or at least not admitting it to the internet!). I also joke that you're not even that good at crawling -you have the funniest crawl that I call a peg-legged crawl since you like to use one knee (your right) and one foot (your left) to propel yourself forward. If you wear baggy pants it's hard to tell that you're using a foot instead of a knee and it just looks like you shake your butt a lot when you move.

Speaking of shaking, you continue to be a squirmy worm and have taken it to a whole new level this month. Changing your diaper or your clothes has turned into something akin to wrestling a small animal, a ferrel animal at that. You flip over, try to sit, stand or really do anything other than lie peacefully on your back. You LOVE standing and will do it whenever you get the opportunity -even in your crib when you should be lying down and sleeping. Speaking of which, your sleep this past month has not been great and I really wish you would improve. I think you're paying me back for being so smug about your sleeping habits before, and if that's the case, lesson learned -you can go back to the old ways now. Your newest "trick" has been waking up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. You settle down immediately if someone goes in to hold you, but getting you back down to sleep in the crib is where the problem lies. Sigh, I would love that baby that slept 10+ hours in a row... if you see him, can you send him back my way? Tell him I miss him.

Good morning sleepy head. You might not have slept through the night, but you still are cute

There is so much more I could write about you, but I don't have the time or energy -instead I'm going to save it all for you. Each month seems to go by faster and faster and I'm just not prepared for how much you've changed. This week is Thanksgiving, and in addition to the pies and stuffing, I'm taking time to be thankful and to count my blessings because I truly am lucky to have such wonderful family and friends (who are my family) as well as you, bubba, and daddy. This week kicks off the holiday season and although we won't be travelling this year to see family, we'll spend time together as a new family creating new traditions and memories and relishing your first Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. This really is a magical time of year and I can't wait to share it with you.

You are the best.

Happy 7 months!

Love,
Mama

On our own

2011-11-21T21:13:00.000-06:00

Although I'm not known for my cooking skills, I didn't have any complaints about dinner tonight!

We started eating dinner together with Callan and although real meals aren't replacing milk, he's been getting kind of demanding about food when you eat in front of him. I think he gets that from me -I mean, who likes to watch other people eat?!? I told Adelia about this new "quirk" and she sent this picture today of the boys watching her eat applesauce. Hysterical! Luke looks desperate and Callan just looks sad. Poor kid, he does love applesauce.

Get that flash out of my face!

2011-11-20T20:16:00.001-06:00

Even with his eyes closed, he's a cutie!

Don't mind me

2011-11-18T01:12:00.001-06:00

I'm just trying to figure out if I can walk... Thanks nana and papa, this toy is loads of fun!

Top of the morning

2011-11-15T09:46:00.000-06:00

That last post has been up for way too long! Time for a cute picture.

This is what greets us in the morning... It's a good thing we skipped the middle setting and lowered the crib all the way down. This kid is out of control.

Sobering Realization

2011-11-13T22:25:00.001-06:00

I hesitated to write this post because I'm embarrassed by what happened to prompt this topic, but then if I didn't write, this would be disingenuous and not a true reflection of what's going on. I guess that's why they say that history is written by the victors -they can determine what to document and what to exclude. Anyway, that is a very long winded introduction to what has been on my mind today, which is a bit more serious than most posts I type out here.

Without going into too many (embarrassing) details, I went to a daytime wine event that turned into a drink-fest and I over indulged (to say the least). Before anyone calls DSS on me, Callan was well cared for under the watchful eye of a babysitter and I was not doing this over indulging while caring for him. But, I was over zealous to say the least and definitely not in any condition to care for my child (if I had to) and the sobering realization I had today was that how massively irresponsible that was of me. It's embarrassing enough to be a 30-something-year-old out drunk, but now that I'm a mom, more importantly Callan's mom, that is just unacceptable. I realize this and the more I think about it, the more embarrassed I get about it. What if something had happened to the babysitter and I had to go home or what if something happened to Huge and I had to be in charge after the event... there was no way that would have been possible.

There was an article I read recently on jezebel.com and the author was commenting that a baby is supposed to cramp your style, but "Facebook photos of friends and acquaintances began to confirm what we'd suspected was happening to everyone but us: People with babies were getting on with their lives immediately". She talks about her isolation and confinement but, "if we were looking for other friends with babies to commiserate with our newfound hermitage, they were too busy on vacations overseas, out seeing new movies or taking their baby to Bonnaroo to be around for a quick chat."

I know we lucked out and Callan is a very easy baby and because of that we've been able to take him out and about with us, altering his schedule a little bit in order to accomplish whatever we have on tap for that day. I've prided myself on the fact that we take Callan out with us and our lives haven't changed too drastically since his arrival. Granted we don't go out as much as we used to, but at the age of 6 months, Callan has been to many, many restaurants, on multiple plane rides and to concerts in the park, but now I'm thinking maybe I'm doing this wrong... maybe I'm still clinging on to my former life a little bit -one that was childless and carefree and just cramming Callan into it? I don't know. I know I'm over thinking this and I should just chalk up yesterday to a lesson learned, no harm no foul... but for some reason I'm taking this one a bit rougher and it's making me think a bit harder. Maybe it's the realization that there is no "off duty" time when you become a parent... I've always said that I can handle the baby and toddler stage, but what freaks me out is thinking of being the parent to a teenager, but I certainly will be. I guess at that point I'll have many years of parenting experience under my belt and will be better equipped to handle it, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm an adult and now I'm responsible for another little human. I sometimes joke with Huge when our house is a disaster with laundry everywhere and dust you can see with the naked eye, that we need to start living like adults, but I wonder when do you feel like an adult? I can live with the fact that my life has changed and honestly, I wouldn't want to go back to my "old" life anyway -not when I have this:

What a weekend

2011-11-09T21:01:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we took another family trip out east to see my family. It was a busy, busy weekend but it was great to see some family and friends, especially since we won't be making it back for the holidays. The weekend started off a little rough when I realized that I forgot two important things -my medication and my pump parts! Gah. It was frustrating and I may have taken it out on Huge, but isn't that what he's there for?

We arrived in Boston on Saturday and spent the afternoon hanging out at nana and papa's.

My brother and sister-in-law come over and then the 6 1/2 of us went out to dinner. Callan was great and enjoyed dinner out. Sunday was a busy day that started with brunch with my friends Julie and Lauren. We hadn't seen each other in awhile so it was great to catch up.

That afternoon we went to the mall so I could pick up the forgotten things and to meet up with my friend Teresa. Huge went to photograph an event that night (the reason that prompted this trip) and Callan and I hung out at nana and papa's. Monday was busy. Callan had a play date with Mabel (and her parents Lisa and Nate). It was so fun to see them and to watch Callan and Mabel interact. Last time they met, Callan was only about 6 weeks old and they were both very stationary. This time we couldn't get those two to sit still. Also, Callan is almost 3 months younger than Mabel but is the same size as her!

After the play date we went into town and met the girls (Warner, Barrett/Carr and Jenn) for lunch. That night Huge and I went out to dinner sans Callan with our friends Grover and Juli to Harvest in Cambridge. That meal deserves it's own post, but needless to say, it was an amazing dinner and we were given the royal treatment (one of the hidden perks of Huge's job).

Somehow through all the coming and going, Callan decided to learn another new skill. He's been doing his peg-legged crawling (using one knee and one foot) since the beginning of the month, but he's decided that's not good enough. While at my parents, Callan decided that he needs to pull himself up on things and he wants to walk! The funniest thing was this box at my parents house that was a big hit with Callan. He could climb on it, bang on it and use it to push around the living room like a walker. I am NOT ready for this! Would it be ok if I just keep him strapped down or tie his legs together?

The poor kid did not sleep well the entire time we were in Boston. He's usually a champion sleeper, but we were unable to get a good night's sleep with him (and even his naps were a bit rough). I don't know if it's teething (he's getting a second), or new skills (crawling/pulling up/walking) or what, but he did not sleep well and that meant neither did mama!

Today he was back with Luke and Adelia and one happy camper to get back to his own routine.

However, he hasn't quite recovered from the weekend and the time changes. He went to bed without dinner tonight although we'll have to see how long he stays asleep. Wowsers, what a weekend. I'm exhausted just typing it all out!

6 month appointment

2011-11-02T15:52:00.003-05:00

On Monday (October 31st) Callan went in for his 6 month well baby visit. Officially 6 months, 9 days old Callan aced the visit with flying colors. After months of being off of it, he finally made it onto the height and weight chart! At 21 pounds, 29 inches and a head circumference of 17.5 inches, he is in the 90th percentile for weight, >95th percentile for length and 60th percentile for head. He is growing bigger and stronger each day. He had another round of vaccines and his first flu shot. In previous appointments it seemed like he was bothered by the shots and needed more cuddles and nursing time, but this time he handled it like a champ and so far has not been affected.

I will say that we did have a bit of an interesting doctor's appointment. Our pediatrician that we had been seeing is gone so we were with a new doctor and I don't think our philosophies really meshed. Granted, I realize he's a board certified doctor and went to medical school, etc, so he is probably much smarter than I am, but for certain things I'm not sure I can take his word as gospel. Huge and I discussed it and we agree that we don't think this doctor is for us, but we will continue to go to the practice as we love everything else about it. Although I won't go into specifics, there was a bit of fear mongering that occurred and this particular doctor definitely saw things more in black and white/right and wrong and for certain things he wanted to let us know we were wrong. I know that we're not perfect parents and this is more than just that knee-jerk reaction you get when you're being attacked... he pretty much wanted to let us know that we were inadvertently poisoning our child by letting him chew on things not meant for babies, that we were weak because we were letting him call the shots by allowing him to eat in the middle of the night (this might be true) and that we are depriving him of nutrition/vitamins by skipping iron fortified cereals and doing baby led weaning (an approach to solids that many doctors do not seem to agree with). I will say he convinced us to get more iron into Callan's diet as he is anemic (makes sense since mom is too -although after doing some research after we left, Callan's numbers are almost normal), but his bedside manner could use some work! We had heard from others that you either love or hate this doctor and although I won't say we hate him, we just don't love him like we did our last. We have another appointment in a month with the same doctor so Callan can get the second round of the flu shot and the other vaccines (they split the 6 month vaccines since there are so many), but his next well baby visit at 9 months will be with another doctor. (Although now that I've had some time to think about it, this doctor wasn't so bad... maybe we'll go back. I just remember being pretty upset at the appointment... now, not so much. Maybe I just have a bad memory?)

Callan seems skeptical of mama's memory too...

Clearly Callan is a healthy, happy little boy and no doctor is going to tell me otherwise!

Sock Monkey

2011-11-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

Just chilling with his sock monkey.

Play ball

2011-11-01T05:32:00.001-05:00

This kid will laugh at anything. His newest fascination -balls being thrown in the air. He thinks they are hysterical.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-05:00

Baby chef wishes you all a Happy Halloween. Hope you're cooking up some fun tonight.

Rough housing

2011-10-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

First it looks all innocent...

And then he goes rogue.

I sure hope these boys like each other...

Slam dunk

2011-10-27T14:28:00.000-05:00

Snug as a bug

2011-10-26T16:02:00.000-05:00

Buddies

2011-10-24T16:49:00.000-05:00

Callan is Providing some shade for his buddy Luke. No one likes the sun in their eyes!

Dear Callan -6 of one, half a dozen of something

2011-10-23T09:36:00.002-05:00

Dear Callan-
Today is your 6 month birthday (now it's yesterday -I started this on your actual birthday but didn't finish it until the day after. Oops). Do you know what that means? That means you need two hands to count the number of months old you are and that half of a year has already passed. HALF.A.YEAR -another half of a year and you'll be a whole year old (that's how math works). That is ridiculous. Do you hear me? Ridiculous!

Before I started this newsletter I did something that I don't usually do -I reread the previous letters and you know what I found out? I write every month about how fast the month has gone by, how much you've developed and how great the month has been. Well, I don't want to disappoint, so let me tell you. This month, month 6, has been crazy. It's gone by way too fast, you've developed at lightening speed and it's been an amazing month!

So much has happened I can't even wrap my mind around it and to be honest, it seems like it all happened in the past few weeks. This month also included wonder week 26, and boy was it a wonder week! On your 6 month birthday you decided to pop your first tooth. We've been able to feel it for a little while and your dad claimed he's seen it before, but today was the first day I could see it -so that means it didn't count until today. Haha, that's how it works in mama's head. Last week you figured out how to get to a sitting position from your belly, which is an amazing feat and now you do it all the time like it's nothing. Now it kind of seems like you're trying to stand/walk, although I would really prefer you learn how to crawl first. But if we're being honest, I wish you would skip the mobility thing altogether. Rolling and army crawling is all my mind can handle right now as it's already being blown on a daily basis and can't handle any more. For some reason in my head you stopped aging around 3 months, so it takes me a minute (or two) to calculate how old you really are. I wonder when you're 30 if I'll still have to do this kind of math in my head.

Your form could use a little work -maybe nana can help.

Anyway, other physical developments this month: You do this really cute downward dog pose and you move your feet/legs (it seems like you're really good at yoga -you do downward dog, cobra, pigeon and happy baby). Good thing you're kind of top heavy otherwise you'd be standing! You are really good with your hand eye coordination and we've taken advantage of this by starting you on solids. So far you've had apples, apple sauce, bananas, mango, pear, green beans, baba ganoush on pita bread, home fries, cheesy grits and kale. So far you've seemed to like everything although it is hard to judge since we only give you a few teaspoons at a time. Your dad and I are excited to introduce all sorts of foods and flavors to you and now that you can sit up in a high chair in restaurants, I think the introduction of foods is going to increase.

Having brunch in your Halloween costume -don't worry we don't normally dress you up like this.

We are still nursing and you're taking the bottle from us before bed and from Adelia during the day. A few weeks ago I thought you were starting to wean as you showed for the first time a preference for the bottle over the bewb and I was actually pretty sad about it, more so than I expected. Thankfully it turned out just to be a bit of a nursing strike so I don't have to say good bye to that quite yet. As we slowly introduce more solids to you, I'm sure we'll naturally start to wean and hopefully I'll be more prepared.

You are still the curious creature who loves to look, listen and touch. You touch everything and like to feel and grab different thing. You especially love touching peoples faces, but we need to work on your "gentle" touches. You still love to put everything in your mouth and you've started this new habit where you'll put a toy in your mouth and then decide not to hold it with your hands anymore and continue on your business either sitting and reaching for other toys or rocking on all fours. It's incredibly cute, but it makes me compare you to a puppy -I mean, a really cute puppy, but using your mouth to transport objects like that is kind of what dogs do!

It seemed like overnight you could sit up and then you've decided to do all these other things -it's been a crazy month. As you can imagine, you are a squirmy worm, which makes diaper changes and getting dressed really interesting as you refuse.to.sit.still.

Your sleep this month has been a little erratic. I don't know if it's because of a growth spurt, you're cutting teeth, wonder weeks or what, but you still wake up at least once in the middle of the night and lately you've been waking up a few times in the hour or two after you go down. You do this cute thing when you're getting ready to fall asleep where you roll over to your side or onto your belly and stick your butt up in the air. As much fun as I have with you when you're awake, I could watch you sleep for hours. There has been a lot of talk recently about the banning/outlawing of crib bumpers. When you're older you're going to realize we had one on your crib and might wonder why we would put you in that kind of danger. Well the thing is kid, your dad and I nicknamed you danger baby and part of that is because you enjoy slamming your body from side to side in the crib like a pinball. I don't know if you're just trying to figure out the dimensions or if you would keep rolling if you could, but I feel like the bumpers are there for your protection. Plus, you like to snuggle up next to them to sleep and a bumper is much more snugly than the wooden slats of a crib. So for now the bumpers are staying on.

This month your babbling has really increased and recently (as in, within the last week) you finally started opening your mouth when you talk. It was very cute before that you would talk/hum with your mouth shut. You've finally opened your mouth, but that also means you now talk a lot louder than you did before! We're trying to work on your "indoor voice", but (shockingly) you haven't grasped that concept. You are much more talkative and you do this really cute thing where you stick out your tongue -it's like you're rediscovering it. I'm trying to teach you how to blow raspberries, but so far you've only gotten the sticking out the tongue part down.

You still love bath time and since you can sit up, it's made it much easier for us. You love splashing and don't seem to mind too much when water hits your face. I still want to take you for swim lessons and am so excited to take you swimming when we're on vacation. We only bathe you a couple times a week because you have such dry, sensitive skin, but I think you would let us do it every day. Thankfully we've never had a problem bathing you and now that you can splash you're really having fun.

Anyway kiddo, 6 months has come and gone and each day you still continue to amaze me. Even on your grumpiest day, you're a joy to us and your dad and I are having so much fun with you. We've turned into those people who think their kid is the best/smartest/funniest/cutest and want to share their accomplishments with everyone. I guess in a way that's what this blog has turned into since you have so many people in your life who are far away and want to keep up with you. You are truly blessed and lucky to have this extended family of friends and family and I hope you realize how lucky you are.

Well if you made it this far you deserve a prize. As your dad says, this is your whole bag of tricks in one short video!

I love you bubbers and you are truly amazing. I know everyone says that about their kids, but for you, it's true *wink*. You are a happy, smiley baby that makes us happy and smiley. I love you more than words can express and I hope I continue to tell you as much as I do now. I wouldn't trade you for anything and I'm so honored and proud to be your mama.

Happy 6 month birthday bubs.

Love,
Mama

First tooth

2011-10-22T15:19:00.001-05:00

Guess who cut his first tooth? It's been poking out for days, but it's officially here. This was the best picture I could get -Callan was trying to eat the camera.

Just for laughs

2011-10-21T15:25:00.002-05:00

I couldn't leave such a serious entry up...so a little video of my silly boys should lighten the mood. (Received 10/19/11)

Parenting fail

2011-10-21T14:43:00.002-05:00

I had my first (of what will be many) patenting fails last night. In my head, right before it happened I knew I should have moved him, but for whatever reason, laziness, over-confidence, any of a litany of excuses, I didn't and I paid the price. Granted no one was seriously hurt and I'm being much too dramatic about it, but at the time I was so sad that I had let my poor baby get hurt. So what is it that I did? I played peek-a-boo with Callan sitting on the hardwood floor and while my eyes were covered he fell straight back and bonked his head! The crying was heartbreaking and I silently cursed myself for letting it happen. Lest you think I'm a hovering, over protective mother, I'm not. Callan has fallen over plenty of times, but this was the first time where the blow wasn't being cushioned by a hand or some other soft object. Just his noggin and the hardwood. You know it's bad when the tears/crying are immediate and then at a certain point there's the closed eyes, tears, open mouth but no sound cry. That is the worst! Anyway, we are all fine and after a few moments we were back to laughing and playing (on the mat of course), but definitely my first parental fail.
And I realize (unfairly) that if this had happened on Huge's watch, I would have been pissed and not so forgiving. Ha, at least I can admit it ;) Lesson learned.

Video first

2011-10-19T20:23:00.002-05:00

Callan's been working on sitting up by himself. I can't believe we actually captured it on video!
*please excuse the outfit. This was after dinner and Callan got some bananas on his pants and we were too lazy to put new ones on him. Oops, if only we had known he had to be camera ready.*

First time on a swing

2011-10-19T14:31:00.001-05:00

I think he liked it...

Weekend in Canada

2011-10-18T16:01:00.001-05:00

This past weekend Callan took his first "international" flight to Canada and got his first stamp in his passport! He travelled like a champ and although he whined a little bit on the plane before he fell asleep coming home, it was short lived and I don't even think the other passengers noticed. In fact we got a few compliments on how well behaved Callan was (and how cute he was).

We had connecting flights there and back, which I was dreading a little bit, but it seemed to work out ok. The flight to Montreal was in the morning, so by the time the flight to Toronto took off, it was just about time for Callan's first nap and he slept the whole way. We brought a play mat for him to play on in the airport while we waited for the next flight and as an added treat, he got to stay in his pj's for most of the day!

While in Montreal, Callan met the rest of Huge's family. His immediate family (mother, father, brother and sister-in-law) has been to Chicago to see Callan, but the rest of his family had not met him and they were all very excited. Callan's great-grandmother was very excited and it was so cute to see Callan sitting on her lap and see him watching/listening to her.

There was a large family gathering on Saturday at Huge's parents house and I'm not sure Callan knew what hit him. He was often surrounded by many people smiling, cooing, laughing and talking to him all at once. He was such a trooper though and made the rounds, from one lap to another, while throwing back enough smiles and laughs to appease the masses.

We also got to see some of Huge's friends and meet the new babies. Olivia Marie is just 5 weeks old, but Callan was already smitten. Olivia, doesn't seem as impressed in this picture, but I think she was just "working" on something more important at the time.

Callan also met Annabelle, who had the cutest, chubbiest cheeks ever. I wanted to gnaw on them all day!

All in all, it was a great weekend. Huge and I got to spend time with family and friends and took advantage of the free (and eager) babysitters and went out a few nights. Callan travelled like a champ and wasn't thrown off his routine too much. It was great to see everyone and got to spend some extra time with Callan -he rewarded us by making a few more advances. He can now sit up unassisted, he is getting super close to crawling and he is sprouting his first tooth. Slowly (well, not so slowly) but surely, he is morphing from this little baby to this little boy. Seeing Olivia and Annabelle really drove home how much these little munchkins change and how quickly it happens!

See.. I'm not fat, just big boned.

2011-10-18T08:03:00.002-05:00

On a plane

2011-10-15T16:17:00.002-05:00

Callan enjoying his first "international" flight. International is in quotes because it was just to Canada and that's just the 51st state, right? Hehe, a little Canada humour (look I spelled it with a "u" to make it up to you).

Should have named him George

2011-10-12T14:21:00.002-05:00

Because he sure is curious. He never loved the swing, or at least being in it.

What, the what?

2011-10-10T20:17:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry, but when did this happen? I just wrapped my head around you rolling and army crawling. Now you want to do it for realz? I'm not ready! I thought it was my birthday -why are you the one getting noticeably older? Hm, maybe you'll just be "close" for awhile... or is that just wishful thinking?

He's not actually crawling yet, but he sure looks close...

Giant munchkin

2011-10-10T17:25:00.001-05:00

Look at my munchkin. I miss him today.

Applesauce and Bananas

2011-10-09T23:01:00.001-05:00

Even though Callan is almost 6 months old, he has been on an all milk diet as we have been waiting to introduce solids to him. When he's awake during dinnertime, we sit him with a toy in his high chair and he'll sit and watch us eat (and play with his toy). Recently he has been taking an increased interest in our food, watching us while we eat and drink and opening his mouth like a baby bird. We've been waiting to introduce solids until he's ready to feed himself and plan on skipping the puree food step. This method is called Baby Led Weaning (or BLW for short) or Baby Led Solids (BLS) and is based on a paper written by Gill Rapley. BLW/BLS just means letting your child feed themselves from the start and waiting until they are developmentally capable to feed and eat food. By waiting, it allows the intestines and stomach to fully develop and encourages babies to listen to their own cues about when they are ready to eat and how much. The thinking behind BLW over traditional puree food feeding, is that you don't need to trick the baby into swallowing before they're ready and it teaches the child to chew and move the food around in their mouths until they are ready to swallow. If they aren't ready to swallow, they will just spit the food back out. Gagging at this point is actually good as it will prevent chocking later on.

Anyway, we've been waiting to do this with Callan. This is a milestone we've been eagerly awaiting since both Huge and I enjoy eating. We're intrigued to find out if Callan will also be an adventurous eater and what his palate will be. We were planning on waiting until he hit 6 months, but he seemed ready and we figured 5 1/2 months was close enough. We started with some applesauce (I know that's technically pureed, but he self feeds and that is the natural state of that food so I don't think it's cheating) and bananas. We're starting slow, but Callan did so well that I have a feeling it's going to be quite the culinary adventure with him.

The videos are a little boring and don't mind the commentary (we obviously were not prepared or paying attention as you'll also notice that he's not wearing a bib in either video taken on 2 different days), but this is one milestone worth capturing and I'm sure there will be more to come.

Don't tell Huge, but the next "crunchy granola" plan of mine is to skip the sippy cup...

So close

2011-10-09T15:33:00.001-05:00

We've got the tripod down. Now on to unassisted sitting.

Indian summer

2011-10-06T16:07:00.002-05:00

(Is that even politically correct anymore? What do people call it?)
Anyway, Chicago has been unseasonably warm this week. Here the boys are taking advantage of it by wiggling their toes in the sun. Wish I was doing the same...

Sometimes

2011-10-04T14:26:00.002-05:00

I worry he's not happy enough during the day while I'm gone. Ha, guess not. I do miss him though...

Storytime with Daddy

2011-10-01T11:40:00.001-05:00

Enjoying one of his favorite books!

When September ends.

2011-09-30T13:01:00.001-05:00

Today is the last day of the month and I successfully completed my September challenge. In an effort to get some of my junky eating under control, I decided not to eat any cookies in September. Now before you go applauding me for reaching my goal, I need to point out that I wrote COOKIES, not cake, not sweets, not dessert... it was a very specific thing* that I cut out. But I'm not going to lie, it was sometimes tough as I developed quite a sweet tooth while pregnant and the cookies at work are abundant and delicious. So now my question is, what should I do for October? I'm planning on making an honest effort to last the last few lbs and I'm going to start working out a few days a week (starting Monday) with a friend... .so should I cut something else out? Or just let my working out be the challenge for October?

*Obviously I don't like to set my goals too high. Or make too many changes.**
**Again, remind me of this when I complain about how long it's taking me to lose the weight.

In other (non-related) news. It's almost October! How did that happen? The time is just flying by and I can't handle it. I saw my first Christmas decoration at the store this week... that seems a little early to me. This is the first year we won't be travelling for Christmas so I'm going to have to do something great or start some fantastic tradition this year (although, let's be honest, Callan isn't going to remember so if it doesn't work out this year, we can just switch it next year).

This past weekend we had Callan's christening. We had both sets of grandparents and aunts/uncles in town. It was great to see everyone, but it made for a hectic couple of days as everyone tried to squish as much Callan time in as possible. Callan was such a trooper and put up with everyone and did pretty well even though he was off of his schedule. This is one of my favorite pictures from the baptism. His christening gown was made by a family friend of my mom's and was gorgeous (albeit very ornate). Callan was not in the best mood at this point as he had missed a nap and was probably a bit hungry and hot so his expression in the picture is priceless.

He was in a much better mood after he changed back into his regular clothes and it was nice to take some family pictures. (Huge's family)

(my family)

And in even more unrelated news, it was confirmed by our families that Callan is the best (and cutest). Although I do think that we may have a bit of a biased pool of judges... hm... there may be grounds for a recount.

Daily walk

2011-09-28T15:26:00.001-05:00

Adelia sends pictures/updates of the boys during the day. It brightens my day to see them and usually gives me a good chuckle.

Callan has a voracious appetite for books.

Reading is hard work.

Month 5 newsletter: A whole hand old!

2011-09-22T16:56:00.001-05:00

Dear Callan-
Today you turned 5 months old. That's a whole hand of months. This month was a crazy month with developmental leaps and bounds that can be seen with the naked eye. Other months have been significant, but this one has been one of the most measurable.

This picture doesn't have to do with anything, but it was just too darn cute to leave out.

You roll around. A.LOT. For awhile you were just flipping, content to go from back to belly (and back again), but then this month you discovered that if you do these actions consecutively in the same direction, you can actually go places. And reach things. And somehow you've also figured out how to move at angles, so now when you spy a toy or something you'd like to get your hands on (and then put in your mouth), you can. It's amazing to watch as you are quite adept at this and are always so active. You love being on your belly too because I think you enjoy the view better. Before you were just a turtle on your back and only able to wave your arms around and kick your legs. Now you're more in control and you're realizing that these motions can get you places and you couldn't be happier. The doctor said you were strong and would probably be an early crawler, but I've also read that bigger babies reach some of these physical milestones later as they have more to move, so we'll see what happens. As fun as I think it will be when you start crawling, I'm definitely ok with you being a little more stationary.

You also started to sleep on your stomach or on your side. The good thing is that you can get yourself back and forth so depending on your mood, you'll sleep on your back, your side or your stomach and sometimes you'll even flip yourself around in the crib. We talked about your wonder weeks and how it affected your sleep and I think you're over it, but you're still waking up once a night (although last night you slept straight through -a first in weeks). I'm sure that with every change and developmental milestone it will interrupt your sleep, but I'm hoping you get into a good pattern and keep it (i.e. sleeping through the night because mama has to work in the morning).You love your feet. I'm surprised that you can reach them and put them in your mouth since you have so far to bend (and you need to get it over your belly), but you can and do. It's funny because you do it the most on the changing table, which makes it a little difficult to change you or to dress you. And sometimes it's like you forget you have feet so when you see them, you're all excited to get them in your mouth and play with them.

(This is a picture Adelia sent me and it makes me laugh because this can't be comfortable, yet you look so happy.)

The other fun trick you like to do on the changing table is to twist around. You reach for things and want to see everything. You haven't tried to roll over, per se, but you are active and squirmy. You need to be moving or chewing/mouthing something. It's pretty fun to watch, but makes for a difficult time sometimes.

The one thing that everyone says about you (other than how laid back and happy you are) is how curious you are. You've always been "serious" when you first meet/see someone and you really make them work for the smile/laugh, but I think your seriousness is really just part of your curiosity. You love watching people talk and touching everything. It's really fascinating to watch you and to try to see the world through your eyes. If there's anything you've taught me, it is to think of how fascinating the world is when you're experiencing it for the first time. I love watching you figure things out and discovering things. It's so exciting and just know that there is a whole world out there to explore and I can't wait to explore it with you.

You and your buddy Luke. Look how good you're sharing!

Your hand eye coordination this month has gotten so much better. You reach for things and can pass objects from one hand to the other. You also are quite adept at putting things in your mouth. We haven't tried giving you solids yet as I'm trying to go the baby led solids approach (skipping the rice cereal and purees and going to real food), but I think you'll be a champion eater. Your dad and I let you lick a peach and although you made a hilarious face, you wanted more. I also let you hold an apple slice, which you immediately put into your mouth and seemed to enjoy. I was too scared to let you have it for too long so you didn't get to chew any of it, but you kind of gnawed on it and got to experience a little of the apple flavor. You're doing well with the bottle during the day with Adelia, but it's still touch and go on the weekends. You definitely have a strong preference for the bewb and I'm happy to oblige (although I would prefer you not want it at 2am!). Adelia sent me the picture of you below holding your bottle and I just wanted to know where my squishy newborn went (she informed me that you were gone)... you look so much older. It doesn't help that you're a giant compared to other babies your age -you're a good few inches longer and many pounds heavier than either Luke or Michael and you're only 11 and 10 days older (respectively). I mean, look at your Flintstone feet! GIANT!

I'm just so amazed by you, bubbers, and every day is a new adventure. I can't believe you're a whole hand (of months) old. It's going by so fast. This month we've gotten to see a lot of your personality. You love to laugh and smile and for some reason find it hysterical getting scared. You love bouncing and flying and will just laugh your fool head off. Your dad can get the best laughs out of you and for some reason he'll wiggle his fingers and flash them in your face and you kind of jump a little, but also laugh... Your laugh is infectious kid and always makes us laugh too. I love it and I love you.

Keep smiling kiddo, the best is yet to come.

Love,

Mama

Ready for fall

2011-09-20T17:05:00.001-05:00

For some reason this makes me think of school. I'm sure there's a math joke in there somewhere...

*thank you to Miranda for making this beautiful vest. I'm sorry that Callan is a giant and it more of a belly shirt now*

Changing seasons

2011-09-16T12:21:00.003-05:00

I'm not quite ready for Fall to be here. Don't get me wrong, Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love the weather when it's cool, but not frigid, I love wearing jeans and sweaters and I love all things associated with fall: apples, pumpkins, leaves turning color etc. But this year Fall has come too fast. Callan was a Spring baby born in April and somehow we sped through Spring, Summer and now it's Fall, which means Winter (and the holidays) are just around the corner. I'm not ready! And from the looks of it, neither is Callan. Looks like mama's got to do some shopping for little bubs.

*fat man in a little coat*

As most people know, I read a lot of blogs and even before I was pregnant or had a baby, a great majority of them are "mommy blogs". Even without the weather changing in Chicago, it was easy to track the changing seasons as many of these blogs started "back to school/beginning of school" posts. It's been interesting to read these posts especially now as a mother and it makes me think about Callan starting school. I know I still have a few years, but with the way CPS works and our desire to put Callan in public school, we've got to start thinking about it sooner rather than later (and yes, I realize that I have a bit of the craz-ee too and that my child is not even 5 months old and I'm already thinking about what's going to happen when he's 5 years old. I just like to think it's called being prepared.). Chicago is definitely not as competitive as NY, but it's not as easy as where I grew up where you just went to the neighborhood school -I definitely see the allure of the suburbs when it comes to school. Anyway, it's hard to imagine Callan starting school, but just as quickly as the seasons have changed this year, I know it's only going to go faster. With every development that I savor and applaud, a little piece of me cringes too because it means Callan's less of an infant who's world revolves around me (and Huge) and getting closer to becoming an independent little boy that I'll be sending off at school. Everyone always tells you when you're pregnant to enjoy every minute before your baby is born because your life will change forever. And then once the baby is born people tell you to enjoy every moment because it goes by so quickly, but no one has yet told me how to make time slow down to let me enjoy every moment because I have to tell you, this sure is going by quick and I'm not such a fan.

*Don't let him fool you. He may look young, but he reads at a sophomore level.*

Glimpse into the future

2011-09-13T15:02:00.002-05:00

I guess this is what happens when you have boys...

Wonder Week 19

2011-09-11T14:43:00.002-05:00

I first heard about the Wonder Weeks from my friends when they were going through Wonder Week 19 with their daughter back in June. At that time Callan was only about a month old so I filed that info in the back of my mind and continued on. Then a few days ago I complained about how Callan had been fussy for the past week or so and then something in my head clicked. I pulled out the calendar and realized, hey, Callan is about 19 weeks old... time to pull out that book! I missed the other wonder weeks, but I read the chapter on week 19 and realized that Callan's behavior fit into the mold.

The premise of the book is that in the first 14 months of a baby's life there are 8 major developmental milestones and mental leaps that are made. These are classified as "wonder weeks" and are generally marked by a fussy period or period of time where the baby's behavior differs as they are trying to figure out the world around them. Some of the behaviors Callan exhibited including waking up at night after sleeping through for weeks and the extra attention he needed were all signs mentioned in the book. Wonder Week 19 is called the world of events and this is when a baby realizes that actions are not individual and are part of larger "events". I'm probably butchering the explanation, but it is worth a read. I missed the first 3 wonder weeks, but I'll be sure to read to prepare for the next wonder week (at week 26 -and someone remind me of this in case I forget and start to complain about his behavior).

According to the book, once that mental leap is made, the baby goes back to exhibiting their normal behavior. I'm happy to report that I think we're done. Callan is back to sleeping through the night and back to his laid back, less fussy attention demanding ways. He's also made some physical jumps and has become a master roller and quite tactile with his toys -- so all that work paid off and wonder week 19 is done.

Callan sitting up in his Mr. Rogers sweater.

20 weeks (already?!?)

2011-09-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

Today you are 20 weeks old (I actually had to count on the calendar to figure that out)! When I was pregnant, 20 weeks was a huge milestone because that meant I was halfway through the pregnancy... Now you're 20 weeks old, which means that 40 weeks ago we had the anatomy scan and found out that you were a BOY! Wow how time flies. The last 20 weeks have been pretty amazing and you are turning out to be quite the little boy.

Here you are dressed for fall on a walk with Adelia... where did my smooshy little infant go?

Look who found his feet...

2011-09-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

All the work has finally paid off... 18 weeks and the feet are in the mouth!

Fuss bucket

2011-09-06T12:56:00.000-05:00

Over the past few days we've noticed a change in Callan that I'm hoping is just a passing phase. He has started to become a little bit needier and wants more attention. Where he previously was able to entertain himself and play for a bit by himself, he now will start to cry when he notices he's alone. However, once you go over there to see what is wrong, the waterworks shut off and he's all full of smiles and sometimes even laughs at you. I can't figure out if he's learning to manipulate us with the crying or if he's just so used to having someone around that now when he's figured out he's by himself, he's lonely.

In addition to this new trait, he's also stopped sleeping through the night. Well technically since sleeping through the night is defined as 6+ hours of uninterrupted sleep, he's technically still doing it, but he used to go down at 8:30pm and sleep until 7am. However, over the past month he's started waking up to eat around 2. I assumed that this was just another phase and perhaps a byproduct of not eating as much from a bottle during the day, but he's gotten much more proficient at the bottle and he's still waking up to eat. Last night he got up twice and was unwilling to go back to sleep right away. I wonder if his teeth are hurting as he's started pulling on his left ear a bunch and the level of drool has increased as has the gnawing on anything he can get in his mouth. I'm happy to snuggle, but I have gotten used to a full uninterrupted night of sleep. When do you think I'll get that back? Am I even allowed to complain about this?

It's a good thing these "fussy" periods are short lived and the rest of the time he's his normal happy self because those times are much more fun.

Mini reunion

2011-09-02T12:13:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was full of excitement as 3 of my best friends from ~~university~~ college (I have to use the colloquial term college even though to all of them it was university) came to visit . Anyway, this was the first time I had seen them since Kevin's wedding last September. As much as things have changed, things have remained the same. The obvious difference was that Callan tagged along to most of our events, but even with all the time and distance that seperates us, we can get back together for the weekend and pick up on the same jokes and fall back into an easy banter that is as comfortable as your favorite sweatshirt. It was the first time that 2 of them had been to Chicago so we tried to do as much of the touristy things as possible without going overboard on all the sightseeing. Of course part of our weekend revolved around the Chicago night life and again, I ask myself, when will I learn? I asked myself this same question last June and shockingly since then, I have not gotten any younger... and I can stay out until 4 am, but I can't be counted on to function too well the following day. It doesn't help that I don't have the luxury of sleeping in past 10 am like some of the others on the trip did.

Anyway, we had a good time and we realized that we need to do this every year no matter where we are. And it'll be interesting to see how the group expands as people get married and have kids. So for the rest of the McGill crew, be warned. We're doing this again next year in Montreal (to celebrate 10 years! Yikes, when did we get old) and we expect you to attend!

The crew on the water taxi on our way to China town.

Seriously, boys with babies. How cute?!?

This picture was taken after I finally got a seat on the bus. As an fyi to all of you, if you see a lady (or man) holding a baby on the bus, you should offer them your seat. We got on to a fairly crowded bus so we folded up our stroller and took Callan out. But all the seats were taken so I was stuck standing holding on while also holding Callan. It's a good thing he's such a chill baby... otherwise it could have been a disaster.

Happy Friday!

2011-09-02T10:27:00.001-05:00

Seriously, this kid makes me smile.

Sophie, the other white meat

2011-08-31T19:16:00.000-05:00

Look who sat and played nicely during dinner!

4 months, 8 days and growing

2011-08-31T11:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Callan was 4 months and 8 days old. He had his 4 month appointment and he is growing like a weed. It is well documented here that he is larger than the average baby his age, and at 4 months, 8 days, it was no exception.

His official stats:

Weight: 18 pounds, 2 ounces

Length: 27.5 inches. The doctor first measured him at 28 inches, but decided that couldn't be right so she remeasured and came up with 27.5.

Clearly these are not the normal stats for a 4 month old... they are actually more on par with a 6 month old. He is off the charts for both height and weight, but again, the thing I was most concerned about during pregnancy was the size of his head and that is solidly in the 50th percentile. Perfectly average head, off the charts for height and weight and perfect in every other way (to me).

Other than that we got his eczema looked at and a scrip for some hydro-cortisone for his face and body along with some moisturizer cream. I'm hoping that will clear it up since we've been fighting the eczema on his face for a few weeks now. He had his 4 month immunization, which he took like a champ. He wasn't too pleased with the oral vaccine and the second shot in his thigh made him cry. But after a little chow he calmed right down and although he was definitely a little bit grumpier, cuddlier and sleepier last night, he was no worse for wear. Today according to Adelia he's been sleepier and has eaten a bit more than normal, but I think that is about the same as his reaction to his 2 month shots. At the doctor's we also discussed the introduction of solids, but we are in no rush for that and am planning on holding off for a bit longer. He obviously is thriving on breast milk, he doesn't need the extra calories and I want to make sure he's ready developmentally before we push solids. We also discussed his sleep and although Callan is a pretty champion sleeper and I know he can go the whole night from 8:30 to 6:30/7, he's been waking up around 2:30 am to eat during the week. I don't know if it's because I'm at work during the day or if he doesn't eat as much from the bottle, but I'm torn as to whether I should try to cut this feeding out or keep up with it. It does seem like he's hungry b/c he'll eat and it's not just comfort sucking, but I also don't want to form bad habits and he is able to go through the night (as he proves a few times a week). She also suggested putting him to bed earlier since 8:30 is pretty late, but I'm hesitant to mess with his schedule too much since in the grand scheme of things he is doing really well. I guess eventually we'll adjust his schedule, but we'll have to do it slowly b/c I've gotten used to getting some pretty good chunks of sleep and I'm not sure I'm ready to go backwards!

Our next appointment is in October for his 6 month check up. I'm assuming at that point he's going to be the size of a 9 month old, but that just means there's more of him to love.

This picture has nothing to do with anything, but he's cute and is determined to get that foot in his mouth (just like a 6 month old).

Cool kids

2011-08-26T15:21:00.001-05:00

Yup, Adelia was right...

Important question

2011-08-26T08:09:00.001-05:00

We interrupt the steady steam of mushiness and cuteness that has taken over the blog to ask a serious question. Say it's about noon when you realize your underwear is on inside out. What do you do?
A) Continue to do so even though it's weird and hope today is not the day you get rushed to the hospital (because you know that they would just assume you're wearing them inside out because they're dirty)?
B) Put them on correctly even though you've spent half a day wearing them like that? Or
C) obsess about it and ask the Internet? And wonder if you're making the right choice?
I mean not that this happened (or happens) to me. I was just wondering... for a friend... Yup, a friend.

Happy Birthday!

2011-08-25T15:38:00.000-05:00

To Huge:
Sorry I didn't buy you a present, but I hope you have the best birthday ever and I know that the upcoming year is going to be truly spectacular. This little guy will make sure of it!

Love,
Rachel (and Callan)

Month 4

2011-08-23T21:42:00.000-05:00

Dear Bubs-
It's funny that your dad and I consciously decided to not call you monkey since so many people call their kids that and settled on variations of bubs, bubba and bubba gump only to find out that your friends Luke and Michael are also called that! It's too late to change especially since the name really seems to fit you. We also like to call you Mister Callan, although I'm not sure why we need to be so formal with you!

Anyway, guess what happened yesterday? You turned 4 months old! Where has the last month gone?
I really need to keep track of the events of the month better, otherwise these newsletters are going to be kind of boring. Let's see what's happened...

This month your laugh has really developed. It's one of my favorite sounds and your dad knows just how to make you laugh. You love bouncing and recently we've discovered that you love clapping (or at least find it hysterical). The blue bouncy chair is one of your favorite places to laugh and I'm going to be really sad when you're too big for it. The weight limit is 25 pounds, so I'm hoping we still have a good amount of time left. Hearing you laugh makes me laugh and I love how much of a goof your daddy is with you.

You have also discovered your feet this month and you love to grab them. You haven't put them in your mouth, but you do love rolling around holding your feet. I guess that's why in yoga it's called "happy baby"! You still haven't rolled over, but I've decided that you just don't want to. You get 95% of the way there and then decide to go back the way you came. You also do this cute thing where you lift your legs up in the air and then fling them to the side so you can move. You've gotten quite proficient at this and we sometimes find you in a different spot than where we left you, especially in your crib at night. You are still loving your activity mat although your newest "trick" is trying to climb the arches. You like to grab ahold of them and bend them towards you (and your mouth!) or try to wrap your legs around them. It is the funnies thing to watch especially since I'm not sure what it is you're trying to do!

You still love putting things in your mouth. Pretty much anything you play with ends up in your mouth. You've discovered Sophie this month and enjoy chomping on her ears (thank you Uncle Junior and Auntie Van). It still looks like a dog toy to me, but you love her. Your other favorite toys are the letter links and the toy we've dubbed the Perman toy (they are the ones who got it for you). It's fun to watch you gum at the toys and try to shove as much of it as possible in your mouth. Your dad and I are convinced that you're teething so it'll be interesting to see when your first tooth pops out.

We are so lucky to have you staying at home with Adelia while mama and daddy at are at work. It's only been a month with her, but it seems like she's been a part of your life forever. You always seem so happy to see her in the morning and are always in a good mood when we get home. We know that you're in good hands and are having a great day. One of the best things is that she sends us pictures and little updates during the day. It makes me miss you a little less and makes a tough day at work more bearable. Today she sent me a picture of you lounging (or trying to escape) from your chair. It makes me laugh and smile at work to get little snippets of your day sent to me and this picture especially makes me laugh because of your expression. You make some great expressions and I hope to capture them all.

You also get to hang out with Luke 4 days a week and although we joke that you're picking up some of his bad habits, I can't imagine sharing Adelia with anyone else. I can't wait until you two are old enough to start interacting -Adelia is going to have her hands full with you two! Considering how active you are when you're on the floor under your activity mat, or in your chair, you're probably going to be one of those kids always on the go.

Finally, Adelia has cracked the code and this month you have become so much better at taking a bottle. You still aren't super consistent, but I know that you're eating enough during the day. The funny thing is that you like to help hold the bottle and sometimes you're successful.

It makes me a little sad because I know that one day you're not going to be my little baby who needs me to feed him and that with every day that passes, you are closer to turning into an independent little boy. I already have seen you change so much and I although I enjoy every new development, I want to keep you my little baby so if I try to sneak in an extra snuggle or two, I hope you'll let me. We haven't tried to do a full day of exclusively the bottle, but we're hoping to one day soon. Although I don't want to leave you, it'll be nice to know that someone else can put you to bed.

Speaking of bed, your sleep habits have become a little erratic and you're not sleeping straight through the night every night. Although I complain, I know that you are still much better than the average 4 month old and getting up once a night with you is nothing in comparison to what it could be like. It's just that you spoiled us with your sleeping and I'd like to get that schedule back soon (if possible).

This month's newsletter is pretty boring, but I hope you realize that I haven't been keeping good records because I'm having too much fun with you, trying to soak in every moment I have. There are only a limited number of hours I get to see you awake during the week and I need to try to cram as much time in with you as possible. Sometimes when I see you sleeping or playing with your dad I wonder what we did to deserve such a cute, sweet baby as you. I laugh at your nana when she tells me that she looks at your picture or watches videos of you and cries, but to be honest, I understand how she feels because I see your sweet face and just want to eat you up. Even with your outbreak of eczema (or whatever that rash was on your face), you were still the cutest baby ever. I know every parent says that about their child, but I really think you are the cutest!

Happy 4 month birthday bubs. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store for us.

Love,
Mama

Sunday lunch

2011-08-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

At Hub 51.

So tasty...

2011-08-20T20:37:00.001-05:00

Thank you uncle junior and auntie van for Sophie. She is delicious.
Love,
Callan

Just when I'm having a bad day...

2011-08-19T15:24:00.003-05:00

I get a photo like this. Love him.

H&C

2011-08-17T06:53:00.002-05:00

Usually Huge takes all the pictures of Callan and me, so I thought for once I'd return the favor.

So happy...

2011-08-14T17:21:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning tummy time

2011-08-14T08:12:00.002-05:00

Before I forget...

2011-08-05T12:29:00.003-05:00

Today Callan turned 15 weeks old and every day seems to bring something new. Giving birth seems like a lifetime ago and being pregnant seems even further away. I figure I needed to do a brain dump of things, before I forget about pregnancy and the first few weeks. Things that in and of themselves aren't super memorable, but will be a good point of reference for the next time...

1. Going back to work hasn't been as hard as everyone claimed it to be. Although I enjoy my job, it's not my life and it makes me appreciate the time I have with Callan even more. But let's be honest, if I could quit, I would -if only I wasn't the breadwinner! haha. I need to start playing the lottery.
2. Breastfeeding was hard. Getting Callan to latch properly was the hardest and most painful thing I experienced. Yes, that even includes giving birth (but to be fair, I had a pretty easy birth experience). The second most painful thing also relates to the bewbs and that is the pain of engorgement. No one tells you what that's going to feel like and lucky me, I got to experience it twice. Once when my milk came in and then when I stopped pumping and started nursing again. I feel fortunate that I have a fantastic supply, but that blessing comes with it's own set of curses. Looking back I kind of felt like I gave up too quickly and I wish I had stuck it out a little bit longer because I wonder if some of the problems we face would have worked themselves out sooner. In the end I'm glad I gave it another try since nursing has been great, although sometimes I'm not sure it's necessarily all it's cracked up to be. People claim that it's this blissful, bonding experience between mother and child and I'm just not getting it. I do love nursing and fought hard to do it and will be sad to (eventually) stop, but in certain situations I think how much easier it would be to feed him a bottle. This brings me to my next point...
3. Bottle feeding is hard too! But in different ways than breastfeeding. Callan has shown his stubborn streak and caused a bit of anxiety over his lack of affection for the bottle. I wrote about the standoff with the bottle and now nearly a month later, it's still touch and go. We've gone from hysterical crying when attempting to give the bottle to something more akin to playful refusal. Adelia has had some success, but Callan will often go days only drinking a few ounces while I'm at work. Thankfully he's still happy and playful, but it does make the nights a little bit longer because he's waking up to eat rather than sleeping through the night.
4. Breastfeeding is a miracle weight loss tool. I have lost nearly all of the 53 pounds I gained while pregnant (I'm within 15 lbs) and after 3 months being able to fit into almost all of my clothes is nothing short of miraculous. We'll see how long it takes me to take off the last 15 lbs as I've read that sometimes it sticks around until people stop breastfeeding, but to be honest I think it's going to take me stopping my 3 cookies a day habit before I get back to pre-preg weight.
5. While breastfeeding may be a miracle weight loss tool, it is not the birth control people may think it is -No wonder there are so many Irish twins out there! I was hoping to go another year without the monthly "visitor", but after 12 weeks, it came back (boo). Even though I am exclusively breastfeeding, I guess it's common for the visitor to return after the baby starts sleeping through the night. As disappointing as this has been, it seems like a pretty small trade off to have you sleep through the night.
6. Speaking of which, Callan is a champion sleeper. The fact that he regularly sleeps through the night and sometimes need to be woken up in the morning is amazing to me. It makes me wonder what's going to happen in the teenage years and whether he'll ever see daylight, but considering his dad likes sleeping in, this shouldn't be too shocking.
7. I sometimes think about my miscarriage from last year and what that baby would have been like and at time think about how old he/she would have been. But as sad as I am about that, I can't imagine not having Callan... he clearly is the baby that was meant for us.
8. Callan may have already ruined his sibling's lives. I can't imagine the next baby being as easy as Callan and figure we will pay for it by having either a terrible next baby or a terrible toddler...
9. I also feel bad for any future siblings because I can't imagine the outpouring of love and affection for them will be any match to what Callan has received. I think there's always a special place in everyone's hearts for the first and Callan is definitely the child/grandchild that everyone had been waiting for.
10. I've run out of things, but I wanted to end on a nice round number. Oh, maybe I'll talk about pregnancy and a reminder that next time I really shouldn't gain 50 lbs!

Wow, that turned out to be much longer than I expected. I guess if you've made it this far you deserve a picture. This is from Adelia yesterday of Callan and Luke. They are going to be best friends and either a pair of heartbreakers or trouble makers... I'm still undecided.

The cutest

2011-08-03T16:21:00.002-05:00

I really think my kid's the cutest (although I'm sure every mom says that about their kid).

On a walk with Adelia (8.03.11)

Testing out the bumbo

2011-07-31T15:34:00.002-05:00

I think someone likes it...

Mama's a riot

2011-07-29T09:39:00.000-05:00

Hearing Callan laugh always makes me laugh. I'm surprised I caught it on camera since he usually turns stoic when he sees it. This is an older video (from a couple weeks ago), but it always makes me happy...

Fun with Adelia

2011-07-27T12:48:00.002-05:00

Someone isn't missing mama...

First day

2011-07-25T18:48:00.002-05:00

Someone had a good first day! Hope he keeps it up. Now, if he'd drink more from the bottle, everything would be great.

Dear Callan -the back to work edition.

2011-07-24T07:24:00.002-05:00

Dear Callan-

You are now three months old! Yowsers, our time together has flown by. This last month has been particularly amazing because of all the developments you have made. You are now full of smiles and like to talk and laugh often. We just discovered that you love to bounce in your bouncy seat or on a lap and after a few bounces you crack a smile and then inevitably start laughing. You’re still figuring out noises and sometimes when you laugh or make a loud noise you startle yourself a bit and that is one of the cutest and funniest things to watch. Hearing you laugh always puts a smile on my face and makes me laugh too. You are still a bit camera shy and no matter how happy and smiley you are, if you catch a glimpse of the camera or the iphone, you stop. I think you’re just trying to figure out what it is. It’s funny because when you were in mama’s belly, the same thing would happen. I wanted to document your kicks and rolls in my belly and no matter how active you were, once I pulled out the camera you would stop. People comment on how serious you are, but once you’ve finished staring and assessing the situation, you’re prone to break out a smile, which melts everyone’s hearts.

This past month you’ve started sleeping through the night, which is glorious and amazing for a baby your age. You love to sleep with your arms up and we put you in a sleep sack to keep your legs warm. It’s funny to watch you get comfortable to fall asleep because your arms will go out to the side or over your head and you’ll kick your legs until you’ve gotten in the perfect position. You go to bed by 8:30 every night and sleep until 5 or 6 am. Sometimes, you hit 7 am and that’s amazing (like today). Getting you up in the morning is one of the most fun parts of the day. You are always full of smiles and in a great mood, no matter how hungry you are. We unzip you from your sleep sack and you give a great big smile and then stretch out your entire body. I could melt from your cuteness.

You haven’t quite rolled over and I can’t even say that you want to, but every now and then you’ll almost do it. Sometimes when you’re on your back, you’ll crane your neck and turn your head to one side, which twists your upper body. Your upper leg and hip rotate, but not all the way. The same thing happens when you’re on your stomach, so your upper body is ready, but your legs aren’t quite there. Although your legs are definitely strong as you love to kick and move your arms all the time. You are in constant motion when you’re playing and it makes me a little nervous to think of what is in store for us once you are mobile. You have started to reach for things and started to put things in your mouth to explore and you enjoy standing on people’s laps. You still love your activity mat and you are getting better and better with tummy time.

The passing of three months also means that mama’s maternity leave is over and will be returning to work. This has caused me a little bit of anxiety, as I have loved every minute of being home with you. Also, this was the month that you decided to refuse a bottle and hearing you cry breaks my heart. Your dad and I figured since you had drunk exclusively from a bottle for 4 weeks, you would be an old pro and take a bottle. Unfortunately, we found out the hard way when we left you with Uncle Craig one night, that you had become mortal enemies with the bottle. We tried 10 different bottles and nipples and for 3 weeks worried about what you would do while I was at work. I think we finally found a bottle that you will tolerate and hopefully this means you won’t cry the entire time I’m at work. We also found you a great nanny, Adelia, and hope you and Luke enjoy spending time with her. She may not be a replacement for mama, but I think she’ll take good care of you while I’m working.

Three months seemed like a long time to have off from work, but I could use three more (and three more after that). Watching you grow has been amazing and seeing snippets of your personality come out has been so exciting. I’m sad to think of all the things I’m going to miss while I’m at work, but am excited to see you grow and develop.

Happy three months Callan, you’re a quarter of a year old!

Love,

Mama

Quarter of a year old -Yea!

Deep conversations

2011-07-19T13:30:00.002-05:00

during tummy time (7.18.11)

So close...

2011-07-19T13:26:00.001-05:00

to rolling over!