One Year

It's been 1 year.  ONE YEAR.  How is that even possible?  Reilly Christian, one year ago, we planned your perfect arrival.  We prayed for you... and then over you.  We authored your perfect fairytale.  As would be your greatest wish, we made you into a train.  And your story, a beautiful journey.  We acknowledged your stops along the way as loving landmarks of your life and elevated your destination as a moment, a space in time, of pure happiness- complete with real tracks that would lead you to the threshold of a place called "home."

"Home..." That's a word so many of us take for granted.  For those of us who are lucky, home means love.  It means a tribe of people who are simply "ours." They're not perfect.  It's not perfect.  But it's warm.  It's familiar.  It's who we are to your very core.  And even if home brings conflict or brokenness... for those of us who have it, home is still, familiar.  It's reliable.  It's consistent.  And for better or worse, it is still who we are to our very core.

Reilly, my beautiful, strong-willed, resilient boy...I am so sorry.  I am so sorry that your beloved tracks led you to a foreign shed.  I am so sorry that on the day of your arrival, we had a party...with your favorite character, Thomas the Train....to celebrate our joy.  To celebrate your arrival at your

"home."

Your home.

Your "home...?"

New scents, new sounds, new things, new routines, new expectations, new communication, new activities, new people...

New..."family?"

New everything.

But...Congratulations!!! 

It's been 1 year.  ONE YEAR.  How is that even possible?  Caleb John, one year ago, we celebrated your moment of becoming a big brother with all the gusto you dreamed of and deserved.  We prayed with you, we prayed for you...and then, over you.  We authored your perfect fairytale.  You walked beside us as we created a world in which you too, could experience a moment of pure happiness, excitement, joy, bliss...

And for that moment in time...I think you did.

But all parties come to an end.  And much the way your carefully placed balloons began to lose their air in the days and weeks that would follow, so too would your fantasy image of life as a big brother deflate and fade as well.

But...Congratulations!!!

Friends, life is not a perfect fairytale.  There are ups and there are downs and if we are lucky, we find a way to see the beauty in our blessings- not the ones that leap out in our faces but the ones we have to search for.  

Like the whispers of the Holy Spirit, the ones we must be still to even know are there...

My sweet Reilly, there's a day that's so vivid in my mind, I know that I will never forget it, no matter how hard I try...It was a couple months in and you were in the midst of one of your most heartbreaking meltdowns...you had pitched every object in your room at the doorway where I was standing, screaming masses of hateful words at me, and then with nothing left to turn to, you jarred your jaw into the drywall and attempted to chew your way out of the hell that your life had become.  

Hell...?

Yes, friends. Hell.  Imagine all you've ever known being taken away from you and being reintroduced into a new family, whom you would develop a sense of identity with.  

Only to find out that one year later, it was time to move again...but this time to your "forever family."

Forever...?

Would you know who you were?  Would you trust where you are?  Would words be enough?  I know know that they wouldn't be for me.

My sweet Caleb, you watched all of this.  Each and every scene of heartbreak unfolded before your innocent eyes.  Way too quickly, those beautiful eyes would mature far beyond your years.  You became fearful, then protective, then sad, then angry, then...

Something entirely different...

You became the most empathetic person I have ever met in my life.  

And while chaos still ensued all around you, it was you, Caleb John, who began to calm the storm in your little brother's heart. 

Every time you held his hand walking across a parking lot or climbed into bed to wrap your arms around him- even if moments earlier he had just unleashed all of his sadness and anger upon you, emotionally, and yes, sometimes physically, you showed him grace.  You taught him love.  And I truly believe that you, more anyone else, finally brought Reilly

Home.

As I sit writing this today, we are going on almost two months of pure happiness.  Two months of uninhibited affection through both word and deed.  

Reilly Christian... I'll never forget the moment I knew you knew our love.  It was the same moment I knew you loved me too.  Since that very first night, 365 days ago, I have sung Amazing Grace to you.  Every. Single. Night. No matter how hard the day had been, I ended it with the words: "You are forever mine." 

It was about a week before Christmas.  I was holding you in your bed, singing.  And I was on that very last line of the song.  I sang: "You are forever..." 

And you reached up, put both of your little hands on my cheeks, looked deeply into my eyes, and sang the sweetest, most beautifully sung word I think I have ever heard:

"Mine."

In that single moment, the walls came crashing down.  Along with some of the biggest Mommy tears this Momma has ever shed.

A long and painful prelude had finally come to a close and for us, it's almost like our book, a imperfect fairytale stitched together not by fantasy or dreams, but by faith, hope, and ever so patient love  

is only just beginning.   

And for the first time, I can truly say, we, the Humphrey Family: 

Chad, Nicole, Caleb, and Reilly.
(and a whole bunch of little furries)

WE are so very happy.

To all of you who have followed us along the way, prayed for us, cheered for us, thought of us, we thank you so much! Your support means more than you will ever know!  

Mommy, WHY??? Part 2

From Nicole...
It was inevitable.

Someday those words..."Mommy, Why?" would grow to encompass one of the hardest questions Chad and I could have to answer.

"Why don't I have brothers and sisters like all my friends?"

It was bound to be a part of the journey.  But it wasn't a concern of today; it was a worry- and a hope- of tomorrow.

But tomorrow never came. And yet came all too soon.

For six years, Chad and I tried to replicate the miracle of Caleb's creation:

We waited.
And prayed.
And relaxed.
And hoped.
We planned.
And dreamed.
And surrendered
And then began all over again.

We tried to convince ourselves that we were fine with not having any more children.

That our family was complete.

But we, and everyone who truly knew us, could hear and see the lie.

We wanted another child so badly.

And yet, to admit that to anyone- especially ourselves- felt so selfish.

Didn't God already answer our prayers?  Didn't our greatest dream come true?  Didn't we have the fullness of the experience we never thought would be possible?  How could we long for more, when we had already been blessed with so much more than so many others who we met along our painful journey through infertility?

And so, with these thoughts, softened by the deepest joy imaginable in raising our amazing son, five years passed in the blink of an eye.

In March of last year, I totally remember my attitude...because it was

not. 

good. 

I was turning 35 and as every woman knows, this meant I had one singular thought fixated in my mind: my biological clock had officially begun ticking.  

At this point, I have to give a huge shout-out to Chad because he really is the most amazing husband in the world.  While I'm sure there are a million great things he could have done, Chad chose to do the one thing that I couldn't bring myself to do: HE made an appointment with my OBGYN. 

Let me just say that one more time y'all- Chad made the appointment.  

And honestly, it is that very act that led here, to where we are today.  Because I believe that it was at that decision, and every one that followed, that God, and God alone was completely in control.

From Chad...

So, I made the appointment because I couldn't completely understand this mysterious 35 year old concept of my wife's body all of a sudden becoming a hazard because it was a day older than it was on her birthday.

We went to the doctor, mainly because I knew there would be one of two answers....One being, Nicole..you are 35, the age wizards have taken your body to a different land, and there is no way in the world you should try to continue to have a baby......Answer two was going to be...Nicole...it's a number...there may be slightly higher risks, but there isn't a clock ticking inside with an alarm that starts sounding at 35... keep trying.

Luckily, answer number 2 was the one we got.  I will say Nicole's doctor made a more profound impact on our lives than he will probably ever understand.  He sat there, talked about the risks...talked about how women have babies all the time over the age of 35.  He was able to set her mind at ease.

Stopping there would have been enough, because it convinced us that our dream of having a brother or sister for Caleb didn't have to be over.

But, he continued.

He took it upon himself to perform several in-office procedures that probably should have had considerable expense, just as a regular office checkup to try to give us a better chance.

He wanted to help us.  

We both have had nice doctors in the past that wanted us to "feel" better when we were sick....but this one was different.

He wanted to truly help us.  

Unfortunately, after several months, still no luck, but we weren't ready to give up.

During this time, Nicole found a lump in her breast, which fast forward turned out to be ok.  But, out of precaution during her going through tests, we stepped away until we knew she was in the clear.

That break led through another month...and through another month...and through another month....Life kicked in, and we kind of checked out.  I think the feeling of defeat may have been setting in well before this time; we just couldn't realize it because we had a doctor that, for all intents and purposes, was trying to be Superman.

So.....we stopped going....

And then out of the blue, Doc contacted her to see how things were going.

It was at that time that we started talking about going back to an infertility clinic to see what our options were.  We couldn't ask for more from Nicole's doctor, but the light that, at one point, was burning pretty bright at the end of the tunnel, had gone dark again.

Unfortunately, the journey has been so up and down for us; it doesn't take much to feel that hope zapped out of us.  Nicole wrote a note (or small essay) to her doctor explaining that we wanted to check in with a fertility doctor, and asking if he had any recommendations.

After several days, he responded with an incredibly kind letter, recommending a doctor that he had known for many years, and who he really believed could help us.

So we called...

And found that the doctor that was recommended was about a month out for appointments....

The other doc in the practice had something within 2 weeks.

Thankfully, for one of the few times in life, I was able to override the "we have to do this now, at whatever it costs, and if we're told no, then find a way to get around it because it has to happen now" Nicole.

We waited for the doctor that was recommended.

A whole month....

In impatient Nicole years, this must have felt like an eternity....but the appointment finally came...

From Nicole...
So we got there and I was ready.  Ok, more than ready.  I was busting at the seams to get going with whatever the next step would be.

Because here we were: with this doctor...who we waited for OVER a month to see...who had been personally recommended to us by one of the kindest, most selfless men we have ever had the pleasure to meet... So what could possibly change the course of action now...?

Oh, hello God!

To describe the experience of that appointment is honestly impossible.  Here we were, sitting across from this doctor who specializes in reproductive medicine, and he led with talking about his faith.

He shared his heart for his ministry work in Haiti.  He talked to us about that point when medical explanations end- and God's control steps in.

He talked to us about Caleb. By name. With true wonder in his eyes.

Because it's true.  On paper, Caleb was an impossibility.

Caleb really is our miracle.

Then he took me down a road that was really hard.  He talked with me about my fears.

Why was that magical number 35+ so concerning to me??

I sat for several moments...and then I began talking...and crying.  Chad said he was shocked that I had held it together for that long.  I was a rambling, incoherent mess.

But it was a release that I needed.  That deep down I wanted.

You know those feelings we all have?  The ones we're ashamed of but for the life of us, we can't shake?  The thoughts that go through our mind but we never, ever want to say out loud because they admit our brokenness and imperfection?  

Well, I went there.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke the truth that only God had known until that moment:

I'm afraid.

Regardless of how much, or how little, the risks have increased with my age, the very thought of them-- all of them-- scares me to death.  

And yet, at that very moment that I owned all that I am not, God, in His amazing grace, reminded me of who I am:

For some reason that I have never understood, I have always been drawn to, and held an innate, deep connection with, kids- who have been through terrible things, who have suffered tremendous losses, and who hurt in profound ways.   My heart understands them.  And the walls that they often put up, that seem so impenetrable to others, respond in very much the same way that I do to them:

Unconsciously, willingly, trustingly... fully.

And there it was. The moment that I just knew.  It was absolutely amazing- beyond words.

But the best part was, I looked over at my husband and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt- that God had spoken to Chad too.

From Chad...

The two of us have God moments together, but this one was different.  We both knew that the plan God had crafted in front of us for the past month of waiting....the past year of hoping...the past 6 years of trying, was for our family to grow through

 Adoption. 

We wanted our family to grow.  Caleb wanted a sibling. This was it.  This was what God had been painting.  For the past few years, the thought of adoption was tough for me...How could I love another child like I do Caleb...A very selfish heart was broken down.  The feeling of doubt melted away, and I knew this was it. 

We told our parents.  Sometimes you wonder...."how will they react?"...If we had any doubt, we were wrong.  Unending, unconditional love and support...and a little bit of..."what took you so long?"

So the next step in the journey began.  If you think your legs are tired now, buckle up for the next few laps.  We knew without a shadow of a doubt that we wanted to adopt from the foster system.  Bring a child into a loving home, and give them a life that they deserve.

How hard could that be...right??

All the time you hear stories of there being too many foster children, and not enough families.  Well.....here we go. 

From Nicole...

So when God says "Go." I go.  I don't stop and ask for directions.  I don't pay attention to speed limits.  I drive.  Full steam ahead.

I become blind and deaf to all around me...including the One who directed me Himself....until I see the blinking lights...hear the siren...and begrudgingly pull over.

I've heard so many times that the adoption world is much like a maze, and that couldn't be more true.

The day after God called us to adopt, I showed up at DSS with a great big smile on my face and a page full of questions. The woman who continually stamped papers, whilst I was sharing the deepest desires of my heart, was not impressed by my excitement at all.

And so, despite all initial calm and clarity, I immediately began to question if this was indeed the road we were intended to take.

After calling several different public agencies, the message seemed clear: what we thought was a pretty average request (a physically healthy child who is younger than our biological son) was a VERY tall order.  "I think it might be best for you to just adopt a newborn" seemed to be the general consensus.

And so for a time, we reconsidered that as the road we would go down...

From Chad

We began by going back to the agency that we had previously worked with.  They told us that they would honor the money that had been previously paid to them.  That seemed huge.  We could make a fresh start, with part of the financial burden of adoption covered....what more could we ask for....?

But as we started to take the initial steps forward in this direction, something just didn't feel right.

God stepped in again.  No surprise.

Someone at church had just recently completed an out-of-state newborn adoption and had a great experience.  Nicole was excited to hear her story and so she arranged a lunch for us to get together and learn more.

As we sat listening to a beautiful story...and watching a beautiful little boy with his beaming mom, something, again, just didn't feel right.  

God felt really present and really clear about us working in foster.  A domestic newborn adoption just wasn't sitting right...I'm not sure how, because we had the perfect example of God's love sitting in front of us.

We left our lunch....both of us looked at each other thinking....what now...neither of us thought this felt right.  Is this adoption plan a complete dead end?  Are we that wrong????

Luckily...Nicole doesn't give up.  She gave one more call to another agency that looked like they did foster adoptions.

And with patience, education, and love- they helped us formulate a plan for how we can answer God's call.

This IS what God wants...

We are sitting here in 2016, a happy family...A 6 year old miracle, two little devoted dogs with love and licks abound, a safe house, a huge support system, and a loving God that has said:

It's time.  

Its time to open your door and welcome in another of my children.  He spoke clearly.  Despite the roadblocks, when God speaks clearly, He is going to eventually open the right door.

We have submitted paperwork to start the licensing process to be a foster family.  Our direction is to grow our family through foster adoption.  Whether that is a little boy or girl....or both.  We know the road may be rough at times, but nothing has been more clear.  We're not sure just yet what twists or turns lie ahead, but the car is gassed up and ready to run.

Sometimes, just like little toddlers, we don't know the answers to why things happen.  God does, but the best we can do is to try and make them up.

We've been asking for years:"Father, why us?" 

Why have we had so many ups and downs?  So many dark holes that we've ended up in....  But now we know....and we are excited beyond belief...

Thank God it's us!

 

"Mommy, WHY???"

26 Months and we finally have a full-out talking machine!! Caleb chitchats about EVERYTHING! And what he doesn't know or understand, he just has to figure out! As a result, there are a couple phrases/sentences that seem to dominate every conversation:

"Mommy, what you dooooing?"
"Mommy, whyyyyy?"
"What's that called?"

It's absolutely adorable/frustrating at the same time since most explanations we give are simply not good enough for our inquisitive little guy! I know it's a pretty common joke that two-year-olds love to ask "why" but after about 10 whys over the same situation, we find ourselves proclaiming that ever-so-parental response: "Because I said so!"  LOL!

Speaking of phrases of this nature, Caleb has also gotten quite an  independent spark in him these days.  I can't tell you how many times I'll ask him why he's doing something (usually something he's not supposed to do) and he responds, "Cuz I want to!"

So let's see...Developmental Checkpoint:
Weight: 28.4 lbs
Height: 36.2 inches
Teeth: All but the last left top molar...popping through as we speak...

Skills/Accomplishments:
 -Caleb recognizes all his capital letters and knows the sounds they make.
-He can count to 20 but usually skips a few in the teens!
-He has started drawing "people"- Heads with hair, THREE eyes, a mouth, and arms and legs coming out of the the head :)
-He loves to build with blocks--taking after his Daddy here for sure!
-As for my influence, Caleb LOVES to sing!!! His current favorites are ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-Board games are now the favorite event of every evening...when Daddy gets home, the three of us sit and play together :)
-Caleb also loves to "read" his books to us now rather than the other way around!

Challenges:
-ALLERGIES!!! Poor kid is currently on a combo of Zyrtec at night with Flonase in the morning.  So far not much relief but we're really hoping this will change soon!
-Teething...these two year old molars have been a killer!!
-Tantrums...Ah yes....the ever so fun "terrible twos" have arrived!! When you couple this with the allergies & teeth, we have many moments that are defined by a piercing scream that could seriously shatter glass.  I know it will be a major contributing factor to later life hearing loss!

A Few Our Favorite Things:
-Caleb learned how to count to 20 from a song so whenever he does it, he has to sing...no matter what he's counting!
-Whenever he talks about a train, he has to stick it finger up in the air like he's going "Choo Choo!" even if it's in the middle of a sentence.
-Rather than asking for us to hold him, Caleb tells us HE wants to hold US.  "Daddy, I want hold you..."  The funny thing is, when Chad picks him up, he says he's too big for Daddy to hold and needs Mommy to do it!
-Everything is a discovery and he's constantly telling us, "I'll show you!"
-Whenever we drive, Caleb points out the red lights and green lights and tells us when to stop and go.  Daddy is very glad to have someone else keeping a check on my driving!
-Caleb continues to be the biggest bedtime procrastinator in the world and has now deduced that asking Daddy to watch basketball with him will certainly make things go his way....imagine that!
-And a personal one from Mommy...Four nights ago at the end of a Mommy/Son date night, I asked my baby boy if he had a fun time.  He said, "Yes! I love you, Mommy! I love you much! My heart melted ♥

Proud Mama!

Yesterday I was telling Chad...if there's one thing I get done today, it HAS to be to update the blog...Caleb is less than a month away from his second birthday and he is just amazing us (and everyone around him) everyday...

Something I've learned about being a mom is that, if you let it, worrying about your child can become a full time job in itself. I am notorious for over-analyzing things so when you put this entire human life in my hands, I can't help but stress about every little bump, bruise, cry, illness--- you name it-- I've googled it! From baby acne to our most recent concern: "knock knees," I have read, researched, worried, stressed, lost sleep, etc. etc. a million times over.

One of the biggest (and most feared) words for a "mommy-worrier" like myself is that elusive~ Milestone..

As a pregnant woman, What to Expect When You're Expecting became my bible. What was my baby looking like? Doing?? I consumed every free (and even not so free) moment reading, rereading, and then reading some more. Consequently, the next two books in the series: What to Expect-the First Year and What to Expect- the Second Year found their way onto my bookshelves as well. And while I learned very quickly that the best manual for parenting is actually doing it, I ALWAYS found myself referencing these books to make sure my child was "on track."

Gosh...on track....what does that even mean?!?! Would my son lose all chances at being a future brain surgeon or pulitzer prize winning author if he was a little behind the eight-ball on learning how to "blow rasberries?" Laughable now...yes. But honestly, I totally remember being worried about him not having started doing that yet!!

If you're actually taking the time to sit and read this, you're probably thinking to yourself right now, "Where in the world is this crazy diatribe going?"

Well here it is: I've been worried about Caleb's speech. Our little miracle man who crawled at not even 7 months and who walked at 9 months was taking his good ol' time at becoming a chatty- catty.

Has he been speaking? Yes. And not just a few words...tons and tons of words...too many to even count. Looking back at my last post, I know that he's been saying simple sentences since Christmas. And yet, I kept reading on facebook things that other moms were saying their kids had said and it all just seemed so much more advanced than our little guy.

(Insert dramatic pause)

Wait! Someone else' kid...... more...... advanced?! Quick, get the book off the shelf! Where are we at? Where should we be!? It's so crazy the things we do to ourselves as parents...(and our poor kids if we're not careful!!)

This past weekend, Caleb showed us just how crazy I really am...

Call 'em milestones if you like (or maybe just mommy bragging points :)

But--On Saturday, 2/25 Caleb proudly:
1. Spelled his name aloud (while drawing circle/spiral-like shapes for each letter)
2. Told us the sound that every letter of the alphabet makes
3. Read "Daddy's Story" reciting the words written on each page (apparently he HAS been hearing us! Ix-nay on the hearing test I thought he might need!)
4. Started singing his songs WITH me! The whole song...not just words here and there!!

Haha, AND he's also doing some NOT so desirable things as well :)))

1. Food he doesn't want is "yucky." No idea where he even got that from!!
2. Bedtime is now a process dominated by the concept of procrastination. WOW, they get it at a young age!!
3. "No!" is definitely Caleb's all-time favorite expression. He especially loves using it at 3am when we crazily suggest he stay in his own bed and sleep for a few more hours!!


Here's a peak at our amazing big boy...who, as it turns out, is quite the little talker indeed!! :)

21 months...Such an amazing age!!

Today I sat and marveled at the incredible person our little man is becoming. Rarely do I have the time to sit and reflect (let alone record) these days but since it is Christmas vacation, what better time is there to reminisce the past year??

The last time I blogged, Caleb was weighing in at just 22 lbs. and was only 30 in tall. Gosh, he has grown!! While he hasn't had an "official" doctor's appointment since 18 months, we did strip him down yesterday and had him stand on the scale and up against the wall-- (Poppa actually used a sharpie to make the notch on his molding!!) Wow!! 26 lbs. and 34 inches tall!!! Crazy!!!

At this time in his life, every day- no, every moment- brings a new, exciting discovery. For a while now, this usually comes in the form of language. I cannot possibly count the number of words Caleb now says. Over the past week, he's actually started stringing these words together into simple sentences. I told Chad yesterday, all of a sudden, as if overnight, Caleb has truly become a real person.

Rather than just being cute, he's actually fun to spend time with! In the car, we have conversations- sure they're somewhat repetitive but the fact that I am able to talk with my child instead of just to him is more deeply rewarding than anything I have ever experienced. When we're hanging out together, he'll run to us, grab our hands, and say: "Mommy, play!" or "Daddy, play!". Last night, when I was putting him to bed, I sang him his bedtime song as usual and he sang along with me! Then, as I left the room, he called out, "Mommmmy!!" I popped my head back in the room and responded, "Yes, Caleb?" With a great big smile on his face he said, "I love you" and laid back down. Tears filled my eyes and my heart melted for the gazillionth time. Caleb says "I love you" all the time...he's said it for months now. Until last night, however, it was always in response to people saying it to him. Last night, he wanted to tell his Mommy "I love you"...all on his own. OMG....I'm crying again!!

So before I give the list of fun facts I've been typically blogging...there is one story that I want to record for the books:

A couple of weeks ago, someone asked me if I thought that Caleb understood Christmas this year. I asked what this meant and the person responded "Oh ya know...like Santa, Baby Jesus, Christmas trees, presents...all the stuff that older kids get excited about..." Hmmm. Good question.

I actually put a lot of thought into this and pretty much concluded-- No. Sure, we put our tree up and Caleb "helped" decorate it but he didn't really seem to care much about it once it was there. And yeah, we read Christmas books to him and played with his Little People Nativity set together and listened to Christmas music every time we were in the car.... But did he really seem affected by the season?? Not really...

It wasn't until Christmas night-- after all the magic was done that I realized how mistaken I'd been. That night, Caleb cried for 3 hours trying to get to sleep. Finally, while laying in bed next to him, I asked him, "Baby, what is making you so sad??!" He looked up at Chad and I with puffy tear-stained eyes and sobbed, "Ball down! Ball down! Want Santa! Santa Milk!" My son was devastated that Christmas was over. Every night in the month of December, we took a ball down from our Christmas ribbon. The night before, the last ball had been removed & carefully and joyfully, we created Santa's scene: Cookies, milk, & a carrot for Rudolph.

Caleb did understand that Christmas had come and there was no mistaking his disappointment with it ending! Over his sad little head, Chad and I just smiled at each other. Our little baby has become a real person- with real emotions- over real (and yes, magical) events!

Stats:

• 26 lbs. 34 inches tall
• Full mouth of teeth (except 2 year old molars which I think he's starting to work on)
• Skills: Running, Jumping, Drawing, Painting, Coloring, Counting, Simple Sentences
• Favorite things to do: Play with his "Choo Choo Train" (our favorite word he says!) Color, paint, pretty much anything artistic, Watch Jack's Big Music Show (and dance along with the music), Dance, Play "Backet Ball" :) "Brush Teeth!"
• Best Friend: Payton "P!"
• Things he still can't live without: His thumb, milk, and of course, "La La"- the name he has given to his lion! :)

1 Year and Beyond!

Milestones:

5/5/2011- First Haircut

4/11/2011- First time Caleb climbed...he stood up on top of his activity table!

3/22/2011- Frist time Caleb picked a flower for Mommy :)

3/16/2011- First Birthday!!!!!!!!! :)))

2/24/2011- First time Caleb sat down and started "reading" a book out loud! Cute beyond words!!

2/7/2011- First time Caleb pointed to something he knew- Light!

12/22/2010- First Steps!!!!!!!!!!! :)))

Toothy Grin: 12 total!!! Talk about a mouthful of teeth! :))

Growth:

12 Months-- 22lbs (45th%) 30.5 inches tall (75th%) and ....... 48.75 cm head (97th%)

Other fun details: Oh gosh! Where to even begin...Caleb has changed so much since the last time I posted on this blog! Well, let's see....for starters, little man is definitely no baby anymo

re. We have a full blown toddler on our hands and boy oh boy is he all about asserting himself as an independent person! Forget walking, Caleb is quite the

little monkey running all over the house, climbing EVERYTHING, (including the baby gates designed to keep him out of trouble!) reaching up onto counters--yup! he's that tall now! It's just crazy! In addition to looking and acting like a little person, he's starting to sound like one too! At this point, there's

honestly too many words in his vocabulary to list- but a few of the highlights:

Daddy- So sweet... :)

Mama- Nope! This one has nothing to do with me! When Caleb s

ays "Mama," he means "monkey." Monkeys are all "mamas" but I am nothing but a giggle!

Lala- Lion (His security lovey and best friend)

Nana- Banana

Baba- Sippy Cup

Baaaah...- Ball

Cookie!- This one's clear as day and definitely a taboo word unless it's dessert time!

Poopy!- He says this when he's made one- He also waves his hand in front of his nose for "stinky!"

Some other cool/cute things that Caleb does now are point to his head, feet, belly, and ears when you ask him where they are....completely understand and do the things we ask him- like, "Go sit in your chair buddy!" (Well, unless he's doing something that he's NOT supposed to- Then he doesn't listen one bit- just grins at us and deliberately does what HE wants!) Like I said, we DEFINITELY have a toddler now! :)

December 2010- Long Time No Blog!!!

Wow! Well, when I started this blog, I thought for sure that I'd be on ALL the time...posting exciting moments, sharing tons of pictures. Then our little guy started becoming LOT more than just an eating, peeing, pooping, cooing, crying machine!!! It is just crazy how much has changed since the last time I was on here! If I were really to narrate the past 4 months, there is just no way that A) I'd ever be able to get through it during this nap time and B) any of you would ever sit long enough to read!!! LOL

Soooooo....like my last couple of posts, I will give you a brief summary of some of what our wonderful baby boy has been up to lately!

Milestones:

10/6/2010- Caleb crawled for the first time!

11/7/2010- Caleb started clapping his hands!

12/3/2010- First time Caleb cried when we left him with a sitter!

12/4/2010- Caleb's first snow!!

12/6/2010- Caleb first stood up (without pulling up!)

Toothy Grin: 5 total!!!! Talk about a LOT of drool!!!! :))

9/19/2010- Lower Left Central Incisor

9/28/2010- Lower Right Central Incisor

11/8/2010- Upper Left Lateral Incisor

12/4/2010- Upper Right Central Incisor

12/8/2010- Upper Left Central Incisor

Growth: 50th% for weight, 75th% for height!

9/17/2010- 18lbs 7 oz, 27.5 inches tall

10/22/2010- 19lbs 2 oz, 28 inches tall

First yucky sicknesses :(

11/4/2010- Double Ear Infection

11/24/2010- Roseola

Other fun details:

-Caleb has started picking up puffs on his own and feeding himself!

-He is now EXTREMELY ticklish and giggles like crazy when you tickle him!

-Caleb has developed a HUGE vocabulary of baby words...it's so funny and adorable when he talks to us because it's like he's having a whole conversation in another language! He also says Mama and Dada regularly (although it's mostly Dada currently!) We're still not sure if he is actually calling us or just make the sound...still though, we LOVE hearing it!! :))

First Snow!!

First Thanksgiving (So sick but still smiling!)

First Halloween!