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!