One step closer to being able to pick it...

Day with Adelia

Friday Callan had his alone day with Adelia and they decided to go check out a play space since the weather was so crummy. Callan loves running around with older kids and he loves playing with new toys, so this was the perfect outing for a rainy Friday.

Um, does this thing go any faster?

Adelia said Callan was a big fan of these girls (and the shoe rack that you can see behind them.) Luckily they seemed charmed by him and allowed him to play with them.

Callan loves bouncing and rocking -I guess he kept trying to get on and off this himself. He clearly thinks he's older and more skilled than he is!

This week Luke is in Florida (lucky boy) so Callan will get a whole week with Adelia. I wonder what kind of adventures he'll have.

Eleven? Really?

Dear Callan-

Today marks your ELEVEN month birthday... holy moly. That means 1 more month, just 31 days, and you will be a year old... Um... really? How did this happen?!? Don't get me wrong, every month has been amazing, but it has really gone by too fast. People aren't lying when they say watch out because your kid will grow up in a blink of an eye -you are nearly a year old and I still think of you as my baby (which, for the record, you always will be).

Like every month, this month has flown by with a flurry of activity. You are a bonna fide walker and although you still like to crawl, you are walking more and more confidently every day. You are pointing, waving, clapping, smiling, laughing and just being an all around joyful kid. I mean, look at this smile -I can hear you laughing in this picture (sorry your pants are short, but hooray for shoes that fit (for now). You have giant feet!) -this is a picture of a happy kid!

You like to bang things together and to try to take things apart. You're learning zippers and love playing musical instruments as well as playing with your blocks and balls and reading your books. Speaking of musical instruments, you have a pair of cymbals that you know how to use, but the other day you decided that holding them in each hand was too pedestrian, so you put one in your mouth and then used one hand to bang the cymbals together. It was the funniest thing to watch and although I probably shouldn't encourage you to do that (since if you miss you'll be smacking yourself straight in the face), I couldn't help but laugh, which in turn made you laugh. You also love "dancing" and I put that in quotes because sometimes what you do doesn't really qualify as dancing, but I give you credit for "feeling the music". Sometimes when you wake up you'll just play in your crib and laugh/talk/sing but once we pull back the curtain, your face will just light up and you start laughing and dancing waiting for someone to come pick you up. I hope your face will always light up like that when you see me, because mine always will for you.

Speaking of bedtime... You are doing an awesome job sleeping. To be honest, even when you are (or were) problematic, it was nothing compared to other kids. BUT, you have a hard time falling asleep on your own. You tend to roll and thrash around (sometimes putting your foot up the side of the bed or resting your arm on the crib bumper) before you get comfortable and you don't like to fall asleep on your own. Sometimes you go to bed and roll over to your side and it will seem like you're asleep, but then you'll turn your head to look up and make sure that someone is still there watching you. I really shouldn't complain, but it does tack on a few more minutes to your bedtime routine. I'd like to just plop you in bed and walk away, but I guess if it gives me a few extra quiet minutes with you, I should savor them since soon you'll want me to just drop you off and walk away.

What else... you are an eating machine and you love pretty much everything. We still haven't swayed you on raw bell peppers or raw tomatoes, but pretty much anything else you'll eat and enjoy. Going out for long dinners has started to become a little bit more difficult since you don't like to sit still (unless you're eating), but you're still a lot of fun to take out. You are also a little charmer and love to flirt with strangers, especially the pretty girls. Your dad even commented on how you have a knack for picking up ladies.  While we were on an afternoon walk, literally every woman that walked by gave you a smile. I'm not going to lie, I think your dad was jealous since none of them smiled at him!

You also love other kids. We take you to the park a lot and you love watching all the kids, especially the older ones and you want to take part in whatever they're doing. You aren't shy with them, which I think is great and I attribute it to the fact that you have Luke and have essentially been growing up with him. You guys are definitely buddies and as you get older, it's fun to see you guys interact.

You're not really talking a whole lot, although you definitely have mama down (thank you). Even though I'm not looking forward to the endless chatter that will eventually come (including the classic "why" questions of toddlerhood), I'm really excited for you to start talking. I wonder if you'll be a chatter box (like your mom was/is) or more of a silent, stoic type.

You truly are one of the happiest babies I know. You bring so much joy into my life and your exuberance just rubs off on everyone. No matter how crummy of a mood I'm in, your smile and laugh are infection and it lifts my spirit. You give these big hugs with your whole body and I love how you always nestle your head on my shoulder when you hug me. You still give out sloppy kisses (which you find hilarious) and even though it's kind of gross, I'll still keep asking for them and taking them for as long as you're willing to give them.

You are amazing.

Love,

Mama

One of your quieter moments

My little hipster

He's just oozing attitude

Looking like a hipster in his new shades.

Lunchtime!

I look forward to lunchtime too. Although I probably don't look as happy eating it as this guy.

Beautiful Spring day

The weather on Sunday was unbelievable so C and I decided to make the most of it and spend some time at the park. Unfortunately so did everyone else! Callan loved just watching the other kids run around and checking out all the playground equipment. I guess it's definitely a different view from 2 feet (rather than on all fours crawling). 

In the morning it was still chilly so he needed a coat but by the afternoon we has to roll up the shirt sleeves!

I love how his hair blows in the breeze and it looks like he has a comb-over.

The good news is that the Spring-like weather is supposed to stay so I'm hoping that means we can say good bye to winter.

(p.s. Please excuse the seasonal/holiday garb. I wasn't expecting to take off his sweatshirt so I didn't think anyone would see. Oops!)

Oh hey there

Sorry things have been quite around these parts, but it has not been from lack of activity and excitement. The days seem to whizz by and the last few weeks have been a blur.


After our Hawaiian vacation we were home for the rest of February and then last weekend we went up to Montreal to celebrate Huge's grandmother's 90th birthday. It was a surprise to her that we were coming and fun for Callan to see Huge's large extended family. He was a trooper the entire weekend starting with our very delayed flight --we ended up not landing in Montreal until 2 am! Definitely threw off his schedule a bit, but he recovered pretty well (probably better than Huge did). We got to see some friends and hang out with Huge's family, so the trip to Montreal was a success, although quite fast. Callan is turning into the frequent flier and thankfully is (still) a really great traveller -I just wonder how long that is going to last.


What else... Callan is a walking, clapping, waving, laughing machine. He still prefers crawling sometimes over walking because it'll get him there faster, but his walking is getting better. The funniest thing is that when he walks he holds his hands over his head and it's especially funny when he's holding something in his hands. I feel like it would be easier for him to balance if he put his arms down, but he won't. It looks like he's so proud of himself for walking and he's celebrating every step. Speaking of being proud of himself, he will clap for himself when he does something and will look at you expecting you to join in on the clapping. What a crazy kid.


Anyway, Huge is away this weekend so it's just me and Callan. Here are a few pictures I snapped from last night.

I tried to capture him walking with his arms up, but he's too  fast trying to get the camera

Oral health is part of overall health -this kid loves to brush his teeth.

Someone's enjoying the spring like weather!

All smiles during his walk with Adelia. Lucky boy since the weather has been so nice!