Seven Months!

Caleb is 7 months old!

Weight: 19 lbs, 12 oz.! He gained 1.25 pounds this month. So nice to see him gaining and growing, compared to how he was losing when he was first born! :)

Length: 27 inches. His length was the same as last month.  That was surprising to me because I’ve noticed some of his clothes getting shorter on him. I’m not totally sure if that’s right haha, but that’s what they said!

Head Circumference: I didn’t get this part checked.

Caleb’s next check up is at 9 months, so I’ll probably go in for a weight check at 8 months like I did this month.

This picture was too cute to skip, even with the glare on the sticker!

Diaper Size: He’s still in size 3!

Clothing Size: He’s now in wearing 6-9 month and 9 month things. I’m about to start packing up some 6-9 month things… He just keeps growing! :)

I love comparisons like this! 

His legs are getting too thick for some of his clothes ;)

Nicknames: Curious Caleb, Baby, The Boy

Our Curious Caleb!

Health: Caleb is doing so much better!! He recovered from his sinus infection – and from his messy messy diapers due to antibiotics haha :) It’s nice to have him acting more like himself again.

Sleep: Caleb has continued to sleep in his crib! We actually had borrowed the Rock n Play from my brother and sister-in-law, so we gave it back to them :) I’m so proud of Caleb for adjusting well to this change! He’s still only going about 4 hours between eating overnight… Once in a while, he’ll go 6 hours.  Hopefully as he gets older and starts eating more solids, he’ll start sleeping better.

We just got a breathable bumper for his crib because he kept getting stuck in the railings… He’d get his feet twisted in them or he’d stick his whole leg through and his thigh would get stuck.  We just started using it 3 days ago, so he’s still adjusting to it I think.  He is taking a little bit longer to fall asleep – I’ve found him distracted by the bumper… Running his hands over it and cooing :) I think it’ll just take him a few days to adjust to that change.

Diet: Nursing is going great and now he’s eating some solids!  He got used to eating cereal and then we worked him up to food; he hasn’t had cereal since.  He has liked bananas, applesauce, and green peppers.  He ate pears, but I couldn’t really tell if he liked them or not – it was similar to the consistency of applesauce. He tolerated carrots – that was a jarred baby food… I think he would like homemade better because it would be thicker.  He liked those carrots more when I thickened them up with cereal.  He does not like avocado – too bad because it’s a great source of healthy fat.  We’ve tried it a few times and just gags.

We normally eat dinner after he goes to bed, so he isn’t normally around when we’re at the dinner table.  This week, he and I met Pete for lunch one day.  Caleb was not happy to be the only one not eating! So, that’s when he tried green peppers.  He gnawed on them for a while… Then he started getting chunks off and did well gumming them :)  So, that night I gave him his bananas in chunks instead of mashed up.  He LOVED it! He kept giggling :) And he would hit his tray and scowl if I wasn’t feeding him fast enough!

He got applesauce for the first time last night.  His very first face was like it was sour – I assume it’s because it’s unsweetened… But then he ate the rest of his bowl of it SO fast! He seemed to really like it.

Loves: He loves bananas!

He loves applesauce!                                                            

He loves watching cars :) If he’s fussy, he calms right down when I take him to the window to watch the cars driving by… What a boy!

He loves his zoo toy! (More about this in Baby Gear Love below)

He loves music!

He loves Mama’s singing :) I made up a song for him and whenever I sing it he just stops and grins at me <3 Precious!

Dislikes: He doesn’t like avocado.

He doesn’t like being immobile (ish)! He gets so grumpy on the floor when he wants to move to something, but can’t… (see below)

Milestones: He’s sitting up great now!  We pretty much exclusively put him down sitting up now, instead of laying down.

He can scoot himself around a lot now! I often am confused at how he managed to get to where he is from where I put him down.  Not crawling yet, but figuring out how to get places as much as he can…

"I love my Grandma" in honor of Mother's Day!

Baby Gear Love: We’re using a lot of the same gear as last month… So I just decided to include some new things… I got him a Bright Starts Soothimal – the ducky one. It’s like a cheaper version of Sophie the Giraffe I think :) He seems to really like it.  He can hold it himself, which is a huge help!

He also lovesss his Vtech Learn & Dance Interactive Zoo. His Uncle Dave and Aunt Rachel gave it to him for Christmas, so we’d just been waiting for him to be old enough to use it… Now, I find myself constantly humming or singing those songs!

SONG 1: Listen to the music and get on your feet. Move like the animals, stomp your feet! Waddle like a penguin, stretch up tall like the giraffe. Dance like the monkey and laugh, laugh, laugh!

SONG 2: I’m a tiny little penguin, Waddling here, waddling there.

SONG 3: I’m a very friendly parrot, Chatting out loud for all to hear.

SONG 4: I’m a great big elephant, Stomping here, stomping there.

SONG 5: I’m a big and tall giraffe, Standing so high I’m touching the sky

Random Thoughts: We had a really rough couple of weeks with Caleb at the end of 6 months/beginning of 7 months.  It’s SO nice to have him down with that screaming and upset phase! I realize it won’t be the last time ;) But he was so upset back then, so I’m grateful for having fun with him again!

He has done really well with going to nursery at church and prime time at the Y.  Sometimes he’s fussy and has some tears, but he’s been able to stay for most of the time! I have noticed that he’ll be clingy afterwards… Makes me wonder if he’s missing us or what?

Caleb has just started (like in the last 2 days) tipping his head to the side and looking at things… More of his curious ways!

I love the way Caleb loves his Daddy… Pete can make Caleb giggle and smile like nobody else can!

I love the way Caleb gives kisses… For quite a while now, he’s given kisses when I ask him, “Do you have kisses for Mama?”  But he’s started being more generous with them :)

Mama Update: I lost about 5 pounds in the last month! Now I’m about 7 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight :) I’m finally seeing a difference in how clothes fit – fitting back into the clothes I wore before I got pregnant with Caleb. I’m looking forward to getting into better shape!

This comparison is actually from 3 years ago and then Mother's Day this year, but it shows a bit of my progress (and my mom's progress!)

This comparison shows October (hours before Caleb was born), December (2 months postpartum), and May (7 months postpartum)

Six Months!

Caleb is 6 months old!

Weight: 18 lbs, 8 oz.! Last month our scale was putting him at 17 lbs and some odd ounces, but I thought that was wrong because, prior to that, he had been gaining 2 pounds a month. Turns out that was probably right! He is in the 67^th percentile for weight.

Length: 27 inches. He’s currently in the 69^th percentile for length. Based on how his clothes fit, I don’t think he’s had a significant growth spurt in his length for a while.

Head Circumference: 17.75 inches. This put him in the 83^rd percentile, but the doctor seemed to think that this was an inaccurate measurement :)

Now Caleb won’t have a checkup until 9 months! So, I think I’ll at least try to do his weight at home for the next couple of months.

Stretching out long!

Diaper Size: He’s still in size 3!

Clothing Size: He’s now in all 6-9 month things. I’ve been trying to get one last wear out of his 6 month things, but those are all too small now.

He's gotten so chunky!

Nicknames: Caleb (this IS his name, so I don’t think that counts as a nickname!), Baby, Caleb Baby, Curious Caleb, Mister… Pete calls him “The Boy” when he is talking to me about Caleb, but he doesn’t call him that to his face :) Those are the main ones I’ve noticed. Oh and his cousins call him Baby Caleb a lot :) I also call him C a lot when I’m writing about him; it’s just easier! Haha :)

Here's our Curious Caleb!

It makes it hard to get pictures sometimes :)

Health: Caleb just got sick for the first time :( He’s been really fussy for the last week and yesterday (Easter Sunday) he got a fever and runny/stuffy nose. I took him to the doctor today and she thinks it’s just a virus. (Update: I took him to the doctor 1 week later for his regular check up. He was still sick and had yellow mucus, etc. The doctor diagnosed him with a sinus infection and he’s on an antibiotic now.)

Sweet smiles, even though he was sick!

Sleep: We’ve been working on getting Caleb to switch to his crib. I spent the bulk of this month getting him to nap in his crib – which has involved getting to sleep unswaddled, etc…. It’s been a crazy process! For the last week, we’ve been having him do night time in his crib. He hasn’t yet last through the whole night in his crib, but he has lasted longer each night! At some point each night there comes a point where he won’t settle back down in his crib after a feeding… Or a time that I’m too tired to keep going in there. Last night he lasted until 5am! Getting close :) (Update: Caleb has slept the whole night in his crib since his 6 month birthday!)

He’s started getting up a lot more overnight. I’m not sure if it’s just his appetite increasing and he’s growing or if it’s related to the switch to the crib… Or if it’s related to being sick. Probably all of that combined! :) He used to sleep through the night or get up once… Lately he’s been getting up 3 times!

Diet: Nursing is still going well… I’m so glad that we’ve been able to nurse for this long. He’s just not interested in other foods we’ve tried. I’ve tried rice cereal a few times and he’s started eating it a little bit better, I guess? Still not great… We’ve given him a taste of squash and a taste of mashed potatoes and he was not interested. We’ve tried avocado and he gagged – seemed bothered by the texture. Now that he’s 6 months old and I think his appetite has increased, we’re going to work harder at it. We’ll try avocado again and probably bananas soon too.

Daddy said, "Someone's had a little too much milk!"

Loves: He still loves to grab things! People’s hair, shirts, mouths, eyes, etc!

We can always get giggles out of him by tickling him – even if he was just crying!

He always chews on things, specifically fingers… Whether they’re ours or his!

He loves rolling all over to get to toys or other things that have caught his attention.

He loves his Daddy! He always gets so excited when Pete comes around :) It’s the sweetest!

Dislikes: Right now it seems like he dislikes sleeping… and being put down… and life! Haha :) It’s been a rough week! (Update: His mood has been improving!)

He definitely dislikes being sick! The poor baby has been pretty upset lately.

He really doesn’t like having his temperature checked! It’s just a forehead thermometer and it doesn’t hurt or anything, but he fights it and pushes my hand away.

He does NOT like the NoseFrida!  He screams through us using it on him :/

I love this boy!

Milestones: He rolls ALL OVER now! These days, I’m more surprised if I leave him on the floor to do something and he’s in the same place when I come back :)

He tries to scooch around a lot! He can get up on his hands/arms and he can get up on his knees, but he’s only gotten up on all 4s a couple of times. Most of the time if he’s up on his knees, his face is on the ground! He has definitely figured out ways to get around by scooching and rolling, though! I put toys out of his reach so he can learn to move around to get to them :)

He is continuing to work on sitting. He’s definitely getting better!

He has started putting his arms up, reaching for us to pick him up!

He is very vocal. This week he’s just been screaming most of the time. It’s exhausting! But I am glad that he has a voice :) He babbles and laughs a lot, but he hasn’t really gotten any syllables down at this point.

One fun thing he does is gives kisses! I thought it was a fluke for quite a while, but I actually think he really does it. For a long time I would ask him, “Do you have kisses for Mama?” and then I would kiss him. He started opening up his mouth and lunge at my face to give me a big sloppy kiss when I ask that question now! He only ever does it when I ask him for kisses, though. So, that’s what makes me think they just might be real…

Practicing sitting!

The one on the right shows his crazy hair...
So many colors in it and it's so long! 

(I think I'm going to have to cut it sooner than I would like :( Boo!)

Sitting and wearing green on St. Patrick's Day!

Baby Gear Love: We have just stopped using the SwaddleMe wraps. I’m sure Caleb still loves them and wishes we were using them ;) We do use the Fisher-Price Rainforest Friends 4-in-1 Projection Soother ever night still! It’s a part of his bedtime and naptime routine now!

Caleb still loves the Bright Starts Bunch-O-Fun Monkey and the Bright Starts Springin’ Safari Bounce-A-Round. He also has started playing with his Skip Hop Puppy Bandana Buddy and Skip Hop Parrot Chime Ball. This is fun for me because these are toys I got for him before he was born and was eager for him to enjoy them!

I’m planning on getting him a teether to try… Probably a Bright Starts Soothimal. It’s like a cheaper version of Sophie the Giraffe I think :) Hopefully he likes it!

We have finally found that we can use the Evenflo Johnny Jump Up (in the Bumbly print) in our doorways upstairs! So, we’ve been using that a lot since Caleb LOVES to jump (in his jump up, in exersaucer, on our laps, etc!)

One last thing that we are loving right now is our NoseFrida!  Like I said above, Caleb does not like it at all, but this nasal aspirator works SO much better than those bulbs!

Random Thoughts: The last week and a half has been really rough. I feel so sad for Caleb because obviously he’s not feeling like himself… But it’s rough on the whole family! (Update: So glad his mood has been improving!)

Caleb had his first Easter! His Easter basket wasn’t filled with candy, but it was filled with other things for his mouth :)

He got bigger binkies, a teether (a hand with fingers for him to chew!), 

and Gripe Water :)

Mama Update: I am back to work! I work ~3 hours twice a week. I’m SO glad Pete’s able to stay home! Caleb is getting so much one-on-one Daddy time and I’m able to get back to my job :)

Also, my big excitement these days is that I’m under my pre-pregnancy weight! Actually, I’m under my wedding weight too (which is 1 pound less than my pre-preg weight). I finally got fed up when Caleb was around 5 months. I started working out more regularly and not eating sweets/treats during the week. These are the things that have always helped me get past my plateau weight in the past. Although I’m under that weight, I’m still not back to my pre-pregnancy size… Now I’m working on getting back in better shape :) (And hopefully will keep losing weight in the process!) Anyways, it’s nice to see progress in this area again!

Easter Sunday <3

Five Months!

Caleb is 5 months old!

Weight: Around 18 pounds? But I’m not really sure :)

Length: I’m not sure :)

Head Circumference: Again, I’m not sure.

I opted not to try to figure this out at home this month since his 3 month estimates weren’t super accurate.  I’ll wait and find out how big he is in April!

Diaper Size: 3! And they fit great :) We’re having so many fewer issues with laundry now that he’s in the right size.  We also do use liners overnight and those seem to help a lot.

Clothing Size: He’s outgrowing his 3-6 month clothes.  He can still wear most of the 6 month things (although I have had to pack a way a few things) and he is starting to fit into the 6-9 month things.

Continuing to grow!

Nicknames: Caleb, Baby, Caleb Baby, Curious Caleb, Mister… Those are the main ones I’ve noticed.  Oh and his cousins call him Baby Caleb a lot :)

Health: His cradle cap has been much better this month.  I actually have switched to just giving him a little gripe water before bedtime.  I’ll only give it to him during the day now if he seems gassy.

Sleep: Caleb naps really well in his rock n play in our room (which is where he sleeps at night).  If I try to get him to nap anywhere else, it’s a struggle.  I spent this month trying to get him to nap in his crib or in his rock n play in his room.  It’s definitely been rough!  We’ve made some progress, but he definitely doesn’t sleep as well in those places compared to in our room.  He’s doing well overnight!  He usually will just get up once to eat.  Occasionally he’ll get up to eat a second time in the night for no known reason.  I just go with it :)  Actually the last two nights he’s slept completely through the night! That’s been amazing :) (This was what happened last Monday.  That pattern hasn’t continued into 

Month 6… Haha)

I love his grin!!

Diet: Nursing is going well.  He’s not spitting up much anymore.  We’re looking forward to starting him on solids any day now… His doctor brought it up at his 4 month checkup, but he hasn’t seemed super interested yet.

Loves: He still loves tickles and funny faces!  I just love his giggles <3

He loves to “talk!”  It’s fun hearing him experiment with new noises.

He loves to grab things! People’s hair, shirts, mouths, eyes, etc!

He always puts things in his mouth!  That’s pretty much all he spends his time doing now :)

He specifically loves eating his toes!

Eating his feet!

Specifically his big toe :) 

Dislikes: Sleeping unswaddled… Actually he hardly sleeps if he’s not swaddled :) He doesn’t like us trying to get him to sleep unswaddled ;)

Teething… His teeth still seem to be bothering him – he’s constantly gnawing on things, but none have broken through yet!

Milestones: He can roll both ways, but he doesn’t seem really interested in doing it.  He’s more interested in trying to scoot/army crawl.  

Trying to crawl! 

He can rotate himself in a circle if I put him on his tummy.  (He had just spun himself around in the picture above.) He can also sometimes push off with his legs and move forward some.  So, I’ve left him on the floor while I leave the room to do something.  I come back and see him with a toy that was out of his reach, etc.  So, I’m careful now about what’s on the floor near him!

He can sit up pretty well.  He’ll last a long time if he’s leaning forward on his hands, etc., but he can do a short time without leaning on the floor.  Usually if I try to make him sit up, he tries to stand instead!

Caleb was dedicated this month!  It’s not so much a developmental milestone, but it is a milestone in his life!  It was a really special day because his 2 cousins who are closest to his age were also dedicated.  And then my brother Jon was ordained and installed as Associate Pastor at our church.  Talk about a fun day!

Both of Caleb's Grandpas laying hands on him as he was dedicated <3

Baby Gear Love: I don’t feel like there’s much to add here this month.  We still love the SwaddleMe wraps, the Bright Starts Bunch-O-Fun Monkey, the Fisher-Price Rainforest Friends 4-in-1 Projection Soother, and the Bright Starts Springin’ Safari Bounce-A-Round.  We use all of these things every day.  I think he would love a door jumper… We have one, but haven’t put it up yet because there’s not a good place on our main floor for it to hang :( I’m disappointed that we haven’t gotten to use it yet because I was looking forward to putting him in it.  Hopefully we’ll find a good place for it soon!

Random Thoughts: I continue to feel like we’re settling in.  I know his schedule and know his cries (or maybe I just know that it’s been long enough that he should be hungry or tired ;) Ha).  I feel like my baby is starting to turn into a little boy.

Caleb's first selfies!

Really, though, this is just Curious Caleb in action, 

trying to grab the camera!

Mama Update: I again don’t feel like I have much to write here this month.  I lost a lot of my opportunities to accomplish things during my days as I worked towards having him nap in his crib.  I needed to be a lot more present.  Our life is currently crazy as we prepare for my grandparents to move in with my parents.  (Update: They moved in on Saturday!) 

Some funny outtakes... It was hard to get Caleb to sit still for these pics!

Our little model!

Posing! And check out those cheeks :)

Four Months!

Caleb is 4 months old!

Weight: 16 lbs, 4oz.  He’s around the 75^th percentile for weight.  (They had just changed the doctor’s computer system.  She couldn’t figure out how to get the exact percentiles :) )

Length: 26.5” He’s above the 90^th percentile for length! Such a tall boy :)

Head Circumference: 16 and 7/8” This was also around the 75^th percentile

.

All of this told me that our at home length and weight figures weren’t super exact :) He was probably not quite as heavy and probably longer as I got for last month haha

He's grown and changed so much!

Diaper Size: 2 – We actually have size 3 coming in the mail.  Size 2s are too short on him now.  Looking forward to the bigger size! (The size 3s have since arrived.  We’re using them over night and finishing up with the 2s during the day.  We also have now ordered diaper liners to use for him over night.  Those should help with the leaks he’s been having!)

Clothing Size: 3-6 months and 6 months!  He is still fitting well into 3-6 month things and he’s now able to wear the 6 month outfits too, which run a bit bigger than 3-6.

My smiley guy <3

Nicknames: He still gets Curious Caleb and Mister a lot.  I also call him my “Snugabug” when he’s all swaddled up :)

Health: He gets gripe water before bedtime and naptime.  His cradle cap flares up once in a while.  Otherwise, nothing to add to this category! We regularly thank God for giving us a healthy, big, strong baby! <3

Sleep: Caleb is napping so much better, but he has backed off on the whole sleeping through the night business ;) I guess technically he is sleeping through the night – he usually sleeps 5 or 6 hours straight, it’s just not as long as he used to go! (His overnights have been rough this week, but it’s technically month 5 now :) Hopefully by the next blog post, things will be a bit more settled!)

Diet: Nursing is going well.  We were having some issues with spit up.  So, I started nursing him more upright (Pete’s suggestion!) and then keeping him sitting up for a while after he eats.  This seems to have made a big difference!

He almost always has his binky in!

Loves: He loves tickles!  I just love his giggles <3

He loves funny faces :) I always make him laugh by sticking my tongue out obnoxiously haha

He loves high pitched noises (hearing them and making them!)

He loves to grab onto things – me, his toys, anything – and try to put them in his mouth!

He loves lights… He always stares at lights, lamps, light up toys, etc

Dislikes: Being hungry.  Being tired.  But honestly, who does like being hungry or tired? :)

Teething – Poor boy :(

Caleb loves grabbing his feet whenever he can! 

It makes it hard to change his diaper sometimes! haha :)

Milestones: He still laughs a lot, is super smiley and talkative :)

He rolls both ways now!

He has started “sitting up.”  If we prop him up into a sitting position where he can lean on his hands, he’ll stay there (almost bent in half) for a while.  I think he’ll start really sitting soon.  He always tries to sit up!

Baby Gear Love: We did buy the next size up SwaddleMe wraps and that’s been really helpful!

Caleb LOVES the Bright Starts Bunch-O-Fun Monkey he got for Christmas from his Aunt Rachel & Uncle Dave.  He plays with it daily!

He loves his Bumbo.  We have a stand up suction toy that can attach to the tray and he spins it.

Playing with that toy at a Marriage Seminar we recently attended.

We really love the Fisher-Price Rainforest Friends 4-in-1 Projection Soother.  It really helps him with sleeping, especially during the day!

Caleb also loves the Bright Starts Springin’ Safari Bounce-A-Round.  It’s basically an exersaucer, but with a bit of a bouncy bottom.  It’s fun watching him discover the toys on it!

Random Thoughts: Caleb has continued to change a lot!  We love him so much and can’t believe the way he is growing and changing before our eyes <3 He looks so much bigger than when he was born.  It’s hard to fathom than we’ve been home with him for 4 months, that he’s the same person as that itty bitty newborn that would sleep on my chest all day.  Now he kicks me and laughs about it when I try to snuggle up with him like that!  I like that we’re getting a system down now.  I know about how long his naps will be (or should be, on a good day! Haha).  I know about how long he’ll go over night before needing to get up (before the last few days at least, but this doesn’t count as month 4 anymore!).  It just feels like we’re settling in and it’s nice!

Mama Update: I don’t feel like I have much to write here this month.  I’m enjoying being able to accomplish things now that he naps more regularly.  I can pretty much count on having an opportunity to do dishes or do laundry or take a shower :)

Kisses from our little Valentine <3