One Busy Little Boy

Callen is into EVERYTHING these days. He is already putting everything into his mouth, and I am constantly having to tell people, 'no, he is not teething.' I guess Cal explores the world with his mouth. I do tell people that Callen has to give something his taste of approval!

Cal has also been crawling for a good 2-3 weeks now. He used to go about 2-3 feet before stopping and playing with the closest toy. Now he follows me from room to room, and to go from toy to toy. We are having to be a little more careful about cords on the ground. It is inevitable that Cal wants to play with the object that is NOT a toy (sound machine, lanterns, and other decorations) instead of the brightly colored toy made for someone his age! We have been slack on baby proofing the house since he really hasn't shown an interest in moving around too much...until the last week. I guess I know what our weekend plans will be! In addition to crawling and gnawing on everything, Callen is very excited to be able to pull to stand and even cruise different surfaces.
This boy has no fear. He pulls up onto a toy, couch, chair, etc. without hesitation. It doesn't matter the surface, how much space he has, or what else is around him. Until about 3 days ago, he could not sit down in a controlled manner. So, Cal would either plop down or fall. There have been many head bumps and face plants; all with minimal tears. He really only cries over a fall if he is super tired. Speaking of tired, this new found freedom has not helped with the napping situation in our house. I had gotten Cal to take two 1-hour naps each day (huge progress for us!), but now that he is able to pull to stand, there is no ability to put him in the crib and let him fall asleep on his own. He usually ends up falling asleep in the stroller while on a walk or in the car when running errands (not my ideal way to get him to sleep, but a momma's gotta do what a momma's gotta do!). He used to sleep until about 7:30-8:00 in the morning. I guess he is so excited about playing and exploring, that he has been waking up by 6:30. By the end of the day, there is one tired little boy in the house...he usually passes out while nursing around 7:15.
This past weekend, Callen found new adventure with two of his toys. He was so much fun to watch while learning and exploring the world around him. He has a 'step n play' piano he got for Christmas. He has been sitting in the seat for the last few months and playing with all the attachments on it. It is a cool toy because there is a piano at the feet and the seat moves the length of the toy. He is able to walk across the toy and make music as well as play with all the attached toys on the top. Because Cal had been pulling to stand, we removed the seat, and allowed him to stand inside the toy and play. He LOVED it! He leaned with his belly on the sides and started waving his arms in the air like he was dancing. At one point, he lifted both feet off the ground and curled them under like he was going to do a flip. He began cruising the length of the toy, all with the biggest smile on his face. He knew he was being a big guy and doing something new.

Lifting his feet like he is going to flip

Dancing to the music

Another toy Callen is having fun with is his outside push car. I thought Callen would just like to sit in it and ride around. Nope...he loves standing in it and riding all throughout the yard. We go up/down hills and run across the yard. Callen has such a big smile on his face. Our neighbors came over Saturday with bubbles. Cal stood up in the car and started calling for 'bub bles' (definitely 2 syllables, but said bubbles!) while waving his hands in the air. He was loving the attention on the older kids and having fun watching the bubbles float all around. 

'Come play with me, Charlie and Helen!'

Calling out for bubbles

I know I say it all the time, but Doug and I love watching Callen explore the world around him. He is such an alert little guy and doesn't miss a thing. He can go from being about to fall asleep in our arms to full out 'go' without a fuss. He loves being outdoors and wants to see and do as much as possible. Right now he is learning so much. When I look back at the pictures of him playing on the piano and in the car, I can see a difference in his confidence and abilities from the first to the last. So amazing to me.  He is changing so fast right now. Every day is a new adventure!

So Much To Say!

While traveling to Lexington, KY, last weekend, Callen said his first word. It was 'mamamama!!' It's a mix of 'mamama' and 'mom mom.' You can bet I was a happy girl to hear that coming from his mouth. I am not sure he realized right away that he was calling me, but when he said 'mamamama,' I would react. As soon as he put two and two together, it became nonstop mamamama around here! When he is tired or if I walk into another room, Callen will crawl towards me calling 'mamamama.' So sweet! He also says 'ma' for more. When he is in his highchair and says it, you better be prepared to give him more food. We have been trying to teach him to sign more, eat, all done, and a few others, but Cal seems to have mastered saying 'more' vs. signing it. 
Cal has some of his best conversations while in the high chair. Doug will come home from work and ask him what he did that day. All of a sudden, Cal will start jabbering about 'his day' to Doug. He then puts his hands together and smiles big like he is something for 'talking' with daddy about his day. So Cute! His loudest and most exaggerated talking is while riding bikes. When Doug goes fast down a hill, I can hear Callen yelling from a good 50ft behind them. He thinks it is so much fun, and continues to jabber for another few minutes. Yesterday night we went riding and it was constant yelling and talking.
We have tried to take lots of video of Cal talking, but as soon as he sees the camera, he stops talking. He is so funny around the camera; he either smiles like he is a movie star or hides his face like he doesn't want to be seen. Here are a few we took more than a week ago. I can't get him on camera saying 'mamama' yet. 

Since I didn't post something on Easter like I had planned (not sure how the day got away so quickly), here are a few of Cal on Easter Sunday!

Getting up from a nap. This is how he greets us (standing up) every time we go to get him out of the crib.

  Keeneland

Doug and I have taken several trips to Lexington, KY, for horse racing at Keeneland and to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Keeneland runs horse races every April and October. Our fall is so busy that we opt to go in April for the 'big weekend' when the payout is the largest (not that we are betting enough to even come close to winning the big pay out!). The bourbon trail runs between Lexington and Louisville, and has 8 distilleries on the route. Taking tours and then drinking sampling the products at the end is always a good time! Doug and I have made the trip by ourselves, and also gone with our friends Lisa and Larry. Both trips were lots of fun, and we knew we wanted to continue going even after Callen was born. Three years ago we went up on a Friday and did a bourbon tour at Four Roses distillery the morning of the horse races. For the next trip, we knew we needed to get there earlier in order to enjoy more bourbon! So, we took off of work on Friday, and visited three distilleries that day before going to the horse races on Saturday. This year we stuck to tailgating at Keeneland only. We sampled our own bourbon at the tailgate!! It is such a fun and laid back time. Some girls get really dressed up with big hats and the guys wear bow ties, jackets, etc. It is always fun to people watch!

Doug took a half day last Friday, and we headed up to Lexington. By the time we made it to KY, checked into the hotel, and got unpacked, it was time for Callen to go to bed. We were going to try and go out to dinner, but he will so ill from being in the car for close to 6 hours, that we thought it best to go ahead and put him to bed and not make him get back in the car to find a dinner spot. (Traveling with a baby is a little different than what we are used to! We learned several things that we need to keep in mind for future trips and traveling with a little one. Cal did awesome the entire trip though and even slept in the closet of the hotel both nights without a peep!!).

We got up Saturday and headed to the track. We parked and got set up for a few hours of tailgating. The weather was beautiful!! We could not have asked for more perfect weather. We had a great time once in the track. Callen kept getting talked to by all the ladies...he was a little stud! He fell asleep for about an hour in his stroller. Other than that, he was wide eyed taking it all in. That boy is soooo curious about EVERYTHING going on around him. He likes to know what is happening.

Before we left for Lexington, Doug laid about wooden blocks numbered 1-9. He made Callen pick blocks for each race. We used those numbers to bet for him! We didn't walk away any richer from the trip, but we each won some of the races based on how we bet. It was lots of fun! We may not do this trip every year, but it is one we will definitely take Callen back to in the future. It will be really fun to go once he realizes what is going on with the horses, and can follow them while they are racing.

Enjoying some snacks and champagne while tailgating!

Chillin' in the sun

Picking our horses

Oblivious to the horses! Chewing on mom's bracelet is WAY more fun.

Daddy, I have glasses like you!

8 months

Hard to believe little man is another month older. Not too long ago I heard someone talk about motherhood, and they said it is 'long days and short years.' Well, I firmly believe that saying. I cannot believe how fast 8 months has gone by...time flies when you are having fun!!

Callen is more and more active these days. He is still doing his push up and fling himself forward type crawling. He has not mastered up on all fours and staying that way while advancing forward. However, the boy can get himself where he wants to go! I left him in the middle of the living room the other day and left the room for about 2 minutes. I heard a loud thud, and found him by the front door with a flower power overturned and soil on his face!! The boy is into EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING goes into the mouth. He is climbing onto small objects that are in his way in order to get to what he wants. He is now able to go from sitting, to all 4s, and back to sitting. I have also found Cal using his crib bumper to pull to stand in the crib (yes, the mattress has already been lowered to keep him from falling out of it). 

Look at all that blonde hair! He is going to be a toe head like his daddy

I think all this activity has started (I say this very loosely) to tire him out some. Cal's naps are starting to be longer than 30 minutes at a time! He still fights a nap every time I put him in the crib, but once he falls asleep, he will sleep anywhere from an hour to 2.5 hours! This makes one happy momma!! And best of all...he has slept through the night (7:30-7:30ish) for the last week! Can I get a BIG WooHoo?!?!

He still has not said any words. Doug and I feel he is 'talking' lots more and throwing consonants in there much more often, but no distinguishable words. There are times I feel he says 'hey' when we walk into the room and greet him. There are also no signs of teeth. His pediatrician looked at his gums last week and said she didn't think he would have teeth for a while based on what she felt (I guess the teeth are way down in there?). 

Trying to get him to say Good Morning to Doug...I feel he said hey at the end, so I cut off the video!

Cal is still a happy smiley baby most all the time. He has definitely shown more outward signs when he is tired, and I have had to do major consoling in public a few times to make him not lose it. We have not had a major meltdown yet, but I also know when we need to start making our way home! One of his favorite games is peek-a-boo/hide and seek. We will hide on one side of a chair and pop out to surprise him. He then starts to look in the same direction for us...and then we pop out on a different side. He laughs and grins every time. He also loves being tickled. He gets the best belly laugh going when you tickle his belly! We are still experimenting with new foods and tastes. I spiced up some quinoa and zucchini with cumin the other day. I can't say he loved the flavor of the cumin. He loves salsa! I have given him medium salsa, and he eats it straight from the spoon without any worry for the heat! He is doing really well at eating straight from my plate. I had to share my pot of homemade oatmeal with him as well as my veggie burger the other night. He enjoys eating whatever I have that I will allow him to try. We are still being careful with the high allergy foods because of Doug's allergic reactions to some foods and my family history of allergic responses. So far so good for now. His new favorite food is watermelon! He gets so excited when he see me take the container out of the fridge. I can see many days this summer hanging out in the front yard with a sprinkler going, Cal playing in the water and then enjoying watermelon and then back in the sprinkler for a bath!!!! 

We have been going to the library weekly for 'Bouncing Babies.' We go with Cal's buddy, Wyatt and his mom. It's a program at the library where you sing songs, read books, and then all the kiddos play. There are usually 20-25 kids at the program. He seems to enjoy it; he really likes the singing and interaction portions, and then the time at the end when you can play. This morning I put him on the ground, and he was gone. He crawled around and played on his own or went to other kids for about 15 minutes.

Bubble time at the library!

So tired but will not miss out on anything!

Life is so great right now. We are having so much fun with our little guy, and loving all our new adventures. Things are so different than just last year, but we couldn't imagine better. It is so awesome to watch Callen explore and learn so much around him. I just need more energy to keep up with him. Once he figures out crawling...and then walking...it is game over!! Off to the races!

Spring Fever!

 

With upstate temperatures moving into the 70's and even 80's,  there is no doubt we are taking full advantage of the beautiful spring weather. We just hope it is here to stay!

This weekend, we were able to get out on our bikes and ride downtown. For years, Doug and I have ridden our bikes to a local restaurant, Smoke on the Water, for happy hour and dinner. Since Cal was born, we have gone quite a few times (the first when Cal was only 9 days old!), but have had to drive there each time. We miss the freedom of hopping on our bikes, riding down there in 10 minutes, and parking right out front of the restaurant. Well, we were back to our old routine this past Saturday! Cal rode with us to happy hour before meeting up with friends for dinner. It was so great to take him along on an outing that Doug and I enjoy so much. Riding our bikes downtown makes me ready for the warm weather and all that downtown Greenville has to offer during the spring and summer months. 

The boys enjoying their happy hour drinks!

I have been able to get Callen outside for some swinging, bike riding, and playing in the yard. The boy LOVES his swing, and could stay in there for hours. Now that it is warm all day and not just in the late afternoon, we are swinging at least 2x per day. It is so peaceful as well as wonderful to look around at all the blooming flowers and trees while he giggles and laughs at the fun. Callen is really enjoying just lying around on a blanket, or 'crawling' around the grass to play with toys (and eat leaves and flowers in the yard!). He is at peace outside. He loves to look around at all that is going on. When Callen has had minimal napping (which is quite frequent around here!), we go outside late in the day to pass the time because he rarely fusses while outside. We play in the yard, go for a walk, or swing to pass the time. 

I was so nervous the first time I got him on the bike...precious cargo!

I love that smile. Melts my heart every time I see it!

 Extra fiber in the diet!

If you ever need to find us, drive by...I am sure we will be in the front yard! This summer is going to be so much fun. Days playing in the pool, going to the park, and just enjoying the outdoors. I hope Callen continues to be an outdoor enthusiast. Doug and I love being outdoors, and want nothing more than Callen to love it too!