Outgrowing the Jumperoo

Caleb loves his Jumperoo, but sadly it will soon be too small for our growing boy! Here's the fun he has!

Caleb's new trick!

Auntie Krista got Caleb to put all the pieces together and do his new trick. To be honest I've tried to have him do this, but he hadn't yet made his own noise. The clip is really cute because it includes Caleb, dog kisses, and lip smacking kisses:)

ENJOY!

My boys

Playing

Daddy and his boys

Daddy loves his cuddle time with Caleb

9 Months!

My baby boy is growing up! He is now scooting/army crawling all around. He is a wonderful eater and a BIG flirt! He just needs someone to interact with him for 10 seconds and he'll give them his winning smile and make goo goo eyes:) He is sleeping well most nights and loves to play with other kids. He gets very excited when there are kids around and loves to smile and laugh at them.

9 month stats:
Height: 29.5" (87%)
Weight: 22.6lbs (81%)
Head: 19" (99%+)

Here's his 9 month picture: (I'm running out of couch!)

8 months

7 months

6 months

5 months

4 months

3 months

2 months

1 month

Where has all the time gone?

So I have been a bad momma by not updating the cyber world about Caleb! We have been very busy!

January 12th Caleb started army crawling a couple feet. It was very exciting. Of course he was motivated by the remote or cell phone:)

January 13-15 BOYS WEEKEND!
Mommy went to a MonaVie Convention in Dallas Texas. She left early Friday morning and came back at 6:00pm on Sunday. Daddy and Caleb did great and Mommy wasn't worried at all. (Everyone kept asking if it was so hard to be away, but I honestly knew Josh could handle it and all I felt was a little sad Saturday morning during a call home because Caleb heard me on speakerphone and smiled, and eagerness on the drive home on Sunday.)

On Friday Caleb went to daycare like usual but Daddy did the morning routine on his own. That evening Nana babysat while Daddy and Papa went to the hockey game. Caleb got a souvenir. Mommy called Saturday morning and got to talk to Caleb on speaker phone. He got quite excited and smiled and reached for the phone. Made her heart smile and ache a bit. Saturday Caleb had a visitor, his friend Aaron. Daddy and Caleb had a great day together.

Daddy started to get tired by Sunday. He was happy to see Mommy come home! Caleb gave great big smiles when she walked in the door! Bonus was that Mommy had Monday off and they got to spend the day together! Mommy brought back some cute MonaVie shirts!

January 15th: Caleb had his 9 month appointment. We bumped it up a couple days because he hadn't been sleeping well and we worried it might still be his ears, but ...they looked good!
Caleb is tapering off his weight a little bit. He is still fairly long and has a big head! Doc said the head is 100%tile:)

Caleb is officially speedy! Can't leave and assume he'll only be inches away now. He can be quite fast! His favorite things to crawl towards are Woody's toys, remotes, phones, and cords. The last one is a little too much like his Uncle Garrett and cause for concern! But we're managing:)

Oma

Caleb got an afternoon with Oma. Oma loved on him by making him work! He worked on reaching and stretching and almost crawling. He's got all the pieces, now he just needs to put them all together. Thanks for the coaching, Oma! We're blessed with your expertise!

Then he was rewarded with Oma reading to him!

Side note, Caleb is wearing the knit sweater that his Oma Renate made him while Oma Nici read to him. He's got a lot of Oma love!

Caleb also finally held his own bottle!

And here's a hug from Caleb!

Everyday Moments

While I take many pictures of Caleb I don't too many of those creative angles that truly reflect the person Caleb is. I also want some more pictures of just our everyday things. The way he looks after a nap, the way he kicks his legs out of the crib while he sleeps, or whine he gives when we've waited too long to feed him. So my resolution is to keep the camera handy for the small moments.

When Caleb woke up from his morning nap I fell in love with him all over again. The soft light in the room and his smile just melted my heart. Our bathroom has a fogged window, which really softens the light. It's right next to Caleb's room so I grabbed my camera to capture Caleb's cuteness after a nap. As you'll notice, Woody wanted to be a part of the fun too.

2011 Christmas Letter

As I started to list the events that occurred in 2011, I had nothing that predated April 19^th. So when I jokingly ask, “What did we do before Caleb was born?” I must really mean it!

April 19, 2011 was the day our lives changed and our hearts grew. Caleb Thomas was born a healthy 8lbs 7oz, 21 inches long. If you want to read his birth story and updates, he has a baby book blog: http://mark1-17.blogspot.com/

In a nutshell, he is the happiest baby with a smile for every one he meets. He has found his voice, loves to roll, and is quite proficient at sitting. He is a wonderful eater! We have given him multiple vegetables and he has yet to turn his head from any of them. Caleb also LOVES Woody! Caleb will get a little fussy and all we need to do is call Woody over and Caleb will smile. They are best pals and Woody is very patient with Caleb!

Josh was able to go on two weeklong trips up North. He went fishing and duck hunting. He had the best bird hunt of his life and came home exhausted and happy. All the way home he planned the hunts and trips Caleb and he would take some day.

Josh’s sister, Jessica, married her lifelong friend and love, Michael Rhodes this June. We enjoyed the day with family and Caleb was an easy-going baby through all the family and various schedules. He wore a tux onesieJ

Bri’s family celebrated their Century Farm this year with an open house at the farm. There were great family heirlooms, photographs, and stories told. Caleb had his first barn dance too! That same weekend, Caleb was baptized by Grandpa Gene.

We took two road trips this year. Caleb was a trooper for both. We spent a week in Colorado with Bri’s sister, Britta, and brother in law, Ryan. We stayed at a home near Crestone and the The Great Sand Dunes National Park. Amazing trip with more of beautiful Colorado! We also did a quick weekend in Ohio. We got to see the Miller Great Grandparents and Caleb’s baby cousins in Columbus. Then we traveled on to Dayton for Bri’s cousin’s wedding. Caleb enjoyed the photo booth and Electric Slide.

We are excited to celebrate Caleb’s first Christmas with family all around. We remember Grandma Norma Monson and other family who are no longer with us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and count our blessings.