10.16.2011

10.16.11 - Seven Months Old


Cale is officially over the half way mark to his first birthday!  It's been a fun month with him - he just continues to shock me with how much he learns and how he changes on a day to day basis!  Cale has become VERY active...and he continues to become more and more active...it makes me a little nervous for when he starts to crawl (which isn't too far away) - I'm going to be exhausted!  






He not only is active when he is awake, but also when he was asleep.  
Check out the bed head to prove it...


Cale dropped his third nap this month, which has made it so much easier to get out and do things during the day.  He is on a great schedule (for now)...he wakes up between 7:30-8:00am, goes down for nap #1 at 10am, wakes up between 11:30-12:00pm, goes back down for nap #2 around 3pm, wakes at 4:30pm and then goes to bed for the night around 8pm.  We dropped the "dream feed" this month, and it didn't seem to phase him at all. 
 When he was younger and I was trying to get him on a schedule, people told me I was crazy!  Now that he's older and we've been consistent "training" him to fall back asleep on his own if he wakes early, it is SO nice!  He is so predictable and it makes my days with him so much easier.  It's fun to plan lunches and play-dates with friends.  The down side of a scheduled baby is that nap-time usually doesn't happen unless it's at home.  As in, Cale doesn't sleep very well in his car seat...in fact, he will rarely fall asleep in his car seat, so I have to make sure we're back home by nap time.  That's not a big deal to me, but I know some people prefer the flexibility.  I like the time at home during Cale's  nap to get things done and to just be still for a bit.

Now that Cale is only napping twice during the day, he is exhausted by bedtime.  He rarely falls asleep before he makes it to the bed, but one night last week, he couldn't quite make it...



Our pediatrician told us that we could try giving Cale some yogurt this month.  We tried - he hated it.  We tried it again - he spit it right back out.  So, one day when we were out running errands, I stopped to get some yogurt - you know, the live cultures, natural, fro-yo stuff?  Well, I got the plain yogurt and decided to give Cale a TINY bite...I really didn't think he would like it.  I. was. wrong!!

First Taste

"It's SOOO cold, Mom!!"

"But, I love it!"

"More Please!"


Cale has also mastered the sippy cup this month.  When we visited my mom, she gave him some water in a straw and he loved it.  After a few weeks of practicing with a straw, I got him a sippy cup with a straw and he went nuts!  It's so cute to watch him suck on his sippy cup! 



We live close to a GREAT mall in Dallas.  Cale and I often go there because a) it's been too hot (until recently) to walk outside, and b) it's the closest Sonic to us and sometimes a diet vanilla coke makes my day.  Here Cale is, loaded up and ready to head inside.  Check out the shoes - they're reversible!  Aren't they so cute!  Of course, my mom found them and didn't stop with just one pair... three pairs were delivered to our house last week!  We never know what might show up at our door, but all joking aside, we are SO appreciative!!


Inside the mall, there are fountains and a pond with turtles and ducks.  Recently, Cale has started to be very interested in the ducks.  He loves to watch them...


Cale has started picking up his puffs and crunchy stix and feeding himself!  That's been fun to watch - he gets SO excited when he gets one in his mouth.  He's getting better at it everyday!





In the last two weeks, he has become completely enamored with our dog, Mickelson.  It's a good thing Mickelson loves him too!  The first thing Cale does when he wakes up in the morning or from naps is look around to find Mickelson.  Then when he spots him, he grins so big!  Sometimes, he even starts laughing.   I put Cale on the floor and Mickelson likes to lick Cale's feet.  Mick is so patient with Cale - we're working on teaching Cale to be gentle, but it's a slow learning process and Mickelson's ears are pulled quite often.

A Sweet Boy and His Sweet Dog...



10.10.2011

Cale's Baptism


Last Sunday, Cale was baptized.  Some people have asked why we chose to baptize Cale as a baby and not wait until he made a profession of faith.  We, and our church, see baptism as a "sign and seal of the Covenant" where children are received into the church.  It is a sign that portrays cleansing and forgiveness, with the washing of water,  but it is also a seal, a guarantee, that if the conditions of the Covenant are met, meaning that if the child comes to faith in Jesus Christ, then all of the promises that were made in the New Covenant (New Testament) will be fulfilled in their lives (salvation and eternity with God in Heaven).  This is not an issue that should divide believers who have different views, but I did want to clarify why we chose to baptize Cale now, instead of wait.  It is our hope and prayer that he never knows a day in his life where he doesn't feel Christ's love, and that, in God's perfect timing, Cale will trust in Christ as his Savior.




 After the church service, we had such a fun celebration brunch at our house 
with close friends and family.














10.04.2011

The Pumpkin Patch & My Own Pumpkin!

Right after Cale was born, we bought a family pass to the Dallas Arboretum.  This is such a fun place to go for picnics and playtime, plus it is the BEST place to take pictures in Dallas!  A few weeks ago, Adam and I took Cale to the pumpkin patch at the Arboretum.  Cale is at the age where everything around him is SO interesting.  He loves to touch and feel everything!  This made taking pictures a bit hard...we couldn't get him to look at us or smile because he was so focused on everything and everyone around us.  
Here are some of the pictures we did get...







He loves looking at his Daddy!

As a side note, the little black gingham monogrammed jon-jon he is wearing is my first attempt at making an outfit for him.  I thought it turned out okay for my first shot...just don't look too close! :)


Lately, pinterest has become a bit addictive for me.  My mom is hooked too.  One night, I got an email from my mom with a link to a pinterest idea.  When I saw it, I knew we had to do it!  So, a few days later, my mom came in town and we had a little fun with Cale while Adam was at work.  You see, we had to do this while Adam was at work, because Adam has a major issue with pumpkins.  He doesn't like anything baked/cooked with pumpkin, he doesn't like the smell of pumpkins, and worst of all for him is the inside of a pumpkin....just thinking about it gives him the heebie-jeebies!  
Look below for the product of our pinterest project...

"What in the world did you put me in, Mom?"


"I think this is pretty fun!"


"I'm going to pretend (for Daddy's sake) that I want out of here!"

"Really, Mom??"







And just for the record, yes, he did have a diaper on, and yes, we did take him straight to the bath after the photo shoot!

Happy Fall, Yall!!