Beach Bums!

I've got my toes in the water and a$$ in the sand (well, maybe toes in the sand for now!)

Last week, Doug traveled to France for business, leaving Callen and me home alone. I really don't mind being alone all day with Cal while Doug is gone, but I am not good at staying by myself at night. Cal goes to bed fairly early, so I am able to have some 'me' time before going to bed where I can read a magazine, watch TV, play on the iPad, or whatever it is I want to do. However, it is falling asleep (and staying asleep) that are difficult for me. By the time I drift off to sleep, Callen is waking up for his feeding. Once I get him settled down and back to sleep, it is 2 hours before I am back to sleep (my mind gets to wandering about EVERYTHING!!!). Next thing I know, it is 7:30-8:00am, and I have slept all of 3-4 hours. My dad and Malinda were heading to the beach for a few days, so I asked invited myself along to help break up the week until Doug returned home. 

On Wednesday, my dad, Callen, and I headed to Garden City for a few days. Malinda was already in Charleston babysitting her grandkids, so she joined us on Thursday. We had no plans other than go for a walk or two, and meet up with my Aunt Angie and Uncle Roger on Friday. Total relaxation (as much as you can have with a 6 month old to care for!!) was the plan!

Thursday was great. My dad and I walked the beach while Malinda watched Callen. Once it got a little warmer, we took Cal onto the beach and let him put his feet in the sand. We took him to Sullivan's Island at Christmas, but it was way too cold and windy to take him out of his bundle. The weather this time was still a bit chilly, but much better than December. Cal loves being outside so much that I know he is going to enjoy being on the beach and playing in the sand during future trips. (This momma is ready for warmer weather so we can get outside and play as much as possible)

After our trip down to the beach, we came back up to the condo to hang out and do pretty much nothing. Callen had lots of snuggle time with Papa and Mimi Malinda. 

He was given his first baby 'laptop' by Mimi M, and as with everything else we have, it had to go through taste inspection. Both Callen's and Malinda's laptops passed with flying colors!!

On Friday, Angie (GiGi) and Roger (Pawpaw Roger) came down from North Myrtle Beach to hang out and go to lunch. Once again, Cal had lots of snuggle time. He wasn't so sure about Pawpaw Roger at first, but was so proud of himself when he finally went to him and played in his lap. After that, Cal wouldn't take his eyes off Roger, and looked for him whenever he was moved from lap to lap.

I came down with a stomach bug on Friday (as well as my dad later Friday). A HUGE thanks to my dad, Angie, but mostly Malinda for taking care of Cal while I was down and out. I could not have done it on my own and was very lucky to have been with them so they could take care of Callen. I told my dad Saturday that we should do this every year. He was in agreement...minus the sick part!!! 

We sure missed Doug while he was in France, but we had lots of FaceTime in the afternoons so Cal could see his daddy, and Doug could see his little buddy. Being at the beach wasn't too bad either!!!

Play Date

Callen went on his first play date today with his buddy Wyatt! Wyatt's mom, Lisa, and I worked together at Shriners. We have become really good friends with her and her hubby, Larry over the years. We have done a lot with them...house renovations at the same time, travel adventures, cookouts, hanging out downtown...and have enjoyed their company very much. I knew whenever Doug and I became pregnant that things would change with their friendship if we had a kid and they didn't. You never want things to change, but inevitably they do due to schedules, timing, etc. Needless to say, we were super excited to find out Lisa was pregnant, and due just 9 weeks after me. We knew our little ones would be best of buds growing up since we like to do so much with them. Like us, they did not find out the sex of the baby. We knew our kids would be friends but I quietly wondered how close they would be if they were opposite sexes. Lucky for us, we both had boys...making it almost a definite that the boys will be buddies for a long time to come!!! 

An early get together! They have changed so much

 
We have gotten together as families and hung out since both boys were born. However, Lisa and I haven't done anything with just us and the boys other than run a few errands. We finally made it a point to get the boys together today and play...and allow us time to have adult conversation (about our kids, of course!).
When Wyatt was only a few weeks old, I watched him at our house while Lisa went to an appt. The boys 'played' together then (laid on a mat and looked at the ceiling!), and Callen showed his first signs of jealousy when I picked up Wyatt to play with him.

Not much excitement!

The boys are so much more interactive now, and developing their own personalities. It was really cute to watch them interact with each other as well as play on their own. We only hung out for about an hour before both boys were ready for naps. I hope we can get the boys together more for play time, especially as it warms up and we can take them outside to play. 

Wyatt, you need to sit back in the chair!

Other people's toys taste so much better than mine!

Some of these toys look awfully familiar

Play dates are fun...

but so very tiring!

A little more interaction than their first get together!

Adventures in Eating

After Callen's 6 month visit to the pediatrician, we began feeding him solid foods. We started by cutting large pieces of foods (think frozen french fry size) and allowing him to eat them as he pleased. Well, this didn't go over so well, and most of the food ended up on the floor or in the high chair. I want for Callen to experience a variety of textures and learn to like all foods (wishful thinking!). When Callen wasn't eating the foods on his own and turned his nose up and tightened his mouth every time I put a piece of food in front of him, I became worried. We originally thought Callen was going to dive into food and be so excited to finally eat solids. Not so much; he wouldn't even try anything.  So, I started mushing regular food down into manageable bites for him for spoon feeding, allowing him to grasp the texture of the food but in a way that was more palatable for him. Since starting this, he has been much better about eating. Cal is eating a variety of foods, making me a very happy person! So far we have tried carrots, bananas, avocados, sweet potato, peas, butternut squash, and rice cereal. I had to steam the carrots and peas and then took an immersion blender to the peas. They became easier for him to swallow but still maintained most of the texture with the skins present. I roasted the sweet potato and butternut squash and slightly pureed the squash to get rid of the fibrous flesh. I also ground down brown rice to make my own rice cereal for him. 
He has done really well and LOVES avocados the most. He literally eats so much that he throws them up from being so full! (gross, but it's what he does!) I am most thankful that he is experiencing a variety of textures and flavors. When he first puts the food in his mouth, there is that expression of 'what is in my mouth??' but he quickly swallows and is ready for the next bite. 

He is only getting about a teaspoon of food at a time, and as soon as he acts like he doesn't want anymore (he stops opening his mouth!), I quit trying. Right now we just want him to experience food since he is still getting all of his nutrients from me. We are less worried with how much he eats vs. what he eats. 
Callen is eating 'real food' about 2-3x/day right now. These times are quickly becoming some of my favorite moments of the day. Watching him eat and explore something new is so much fun and so cute. We have had a few lots of messes and extra baths to clean up from all the fun! 

Storing his food for later!

I've got this mom and dad. I don't need your help

 

Determination to pick up a pea

No cameras, please. I am trying to eat in 'peas'

All done!

 

I'll help with clean up!

This has become one of my new fav pics of him! Look at those eyelashes!

More Snow!

The last 'snow storm' kept us indoors for a few days. There wasn't a ton of snow to make it worth getting all bundled up, stand in the snow for 5 minutes, and then come inside because there was nothing to do. However, this week's storm was a little different. We have easily gotten more than 6" of snow over the last few days. On Wednesday, we were excited to be able to bundle up and get out for a little while with Cal. Once we got outside, the sleet started coming down pretty hard, and the wind had picked up a good bit. We were pretty chilly and didn't like the sleet pelting us in the face. However, we were able to play for a few minutes and take a walk around the neighborhood before heading back inside.
Because we live in the south, and don't expect weather like this often, Callen does not have a wardrobe conducive to cold weather! So, we had to do the best with what we had in order to keep him warm and dry while outside. This is us trying some of our cold weather gear on him to help keep him dry!! 

Our little Russian!

 We ended up not putting him in this outfit, but used his own clothes and just kept him from lying directly in the snow! 

We did a little snowboarding...

and then went 'sledding' in dad's spray skirt for kayaking...

finally we headed out for a quick walk in the neighborhood...

Thursday was a much better day for getting out to play. The sun was brightly shining, and it was much warmer than the day before. By the time we got out with Callen (due to naps and daddy working), the icy areas had melted down and the snow was pretty soft and slushy. We weren't able to go sledding down the big hills, but we borrowed a sled from our neighbors and took Callen in the yard!

Just chillin'

Being pulled through the snow

Take off down the hill

More downhill sledding

We had a good time with the little guy, and look forward to snow storms in the years to come when he can run around and play in it. Sledding, building snowmen, making snow angels, and snowball fights are going to be a blast. Doug and I enjoy this stuff now, but it is more fun (and socially acceptable!) when you have a kid to do it with!!!!!!!!!

1/2 Birthday!!

This past Saturday, we celebrated a big milestone in our house...Callen turned 6 months old! Most importantly, we are all still here to tell about it. We have kept Cal alive as well as ourselves while (still) trying to figure it all out!!! I can say that these last 6 months have been the most fun, rewarding, challenging, and happiest 6 months of my life. Callen is such a fun and lovable little guy. His smile and laugh can turn any bad day into a happy joyful day. I love waking up listening to him cooing and laughing, and then being greeted with a huge grin when I walk in his room to get him out of the crib. At the end of the day when he is so tired, he falls asleep in my arms. I then shift him and he ends up hugging my neck (so sweet!). I find myself hugging him back, and just enjoying the moment...before long he is going to be running everywhere and I will have to tackle him to slow down for 5 seconds!

We went to the doctor on Monday for Callen's 6 month check up. His pediatrician thinks he is doing great. He weighs 16lbs 10oz (32%) and measures 27in (66%). His weight has fluctuated a lot since birth (he was once in the 51st percentile and then dropped to 29th percentile), but we didn't realize he had a dairy allergy until age 4 months. He was projectile vomiting about 15-20x/day as well as had blood in his stools before we figured it was dairy. He had always spit up a ton, but the blood was the key to the dairy allergy. So, starting January 1st, I went dairy free. This has made a huge difference...Callen is spitting up MUCH less and I am having to do far less laundry due to decreased clothing, bib, and burp cloth changes. Everyone is much happier!!!

Perfect representation of Cal these days...foot in mouth!

So big

At 6 months, Callen is sitting unsupported for about a minute before toppling over. He is able to reach forward and overhead for objects and come back to sitting without falling. He is rolling both ways now. EVERYTHING (except food) goes into the mouth. We have many board books that are worn away at the corners from Cal gnawing on them. We are still waiting on teeth. I feel they are going to pop through anytime, but there are still no signs of them. Cal isn't making consonant (ba ba, ma ma, etc.) sounds yet, but has started this screaming that is pretty funny! When he is in a really good mood, he can do this for 5 min or so. If you join in with him, he just goes for longer periods of time to compete with you!

As you can see from the above video, we started solid foods this week. We waited to get the OK from the pediatrician since we had so many issues with his skin and spit up from the dairy allergy. I really wanted the doctor to take a look at him and know what he looked like before starting solid foods. As you can see from the tray, solid foods have NOT been a hit in this house. Both Doug and myself thought he was going to go crazy for solids since he is all the time trying to grab our food from us. We started with steamed carrots. He took one bite, and that was it. He was not overly excited about real food! We tried carrots again the next day with no luck. We then gave him bananas last night trying to give him something he might like...NOPE! Shut mouth again. 

1st bite!

And the reaction!

I would rather eat the bowl with the carrots in it than the carrots!

Daddy's attempt to feed Cal carrots

I'm tired of all this. Just leave me alone!

Attempt at bananas...

After trying to eat the bib and removing it

Thanks for the food. I'll just stick to drinking!

Suckers! I get what I want!

Callen is also a daredevil wiggle worm. I should know better by now, but every time I put him in his bouncy seat, he flips himself over onto his stomach and gets stuck in that position. I should buckle him in, but he likes to sit up in the chair and play with his toys until he gets bored. Well, this is what I found the other day when I turned around...

Our little man is growing up so fast. We love him so much and can't imagine him not in our lives. He has brought us so much joy and happiness. I love being a stay at home mom to this little munchkin. Everyday is a new adventure, and I am up for any adventure that comes our way!