Day Trip to New Bern

On Saturday we decided to take our first family day trip to New Bern to visit some of the historical sites there. Not quite the same as our annual trip to the beach but since we're not supposed to put sunscreen on Caleb until he's at least 6 months old, we felt like it'd be sorta difficult to keep him completely protected out in the open sun. Even walking around town was a little difficult for the same reason but we made do. Right now, I'm currently searching for some sort of wet/dry suit that we can get for little man so that he can at least enjoy some outside time this summer.

Despite the lack of sand and water, our trip was really fun. I think everything is more fun though now that Caleb is in our lives! The drive was just about two hours and Caleb slept the whole way there. Then, after a short feeding, we set off to sightsee. At first, our little buddy was NOT happy! We tried to take a tour of Tryon Palace (the old governor's mansion) but shortly after getting inside, Caleb started wailing! It was actually pretty funny because since the house was so old (marble floors, high ceilings), his yells echoed through the whole place and our tour guide (who couldn't have been older than 20) couldn't keep his script straight. After just a few minutes, he got so frustrated that he asked us if we were planning on staying...LOL! Luckily, a really nice OLDER man intervened at that point and offered to take us on a private tour ahead of the rest of the group-- very kind of him! Within minutes, Caleb fell sound asleep in our arms and the rest of the tour went beautifully!

The coolest thing about doing stuff with Caleb these days is how much discovery comes with every experience. It is so amazing to watch the look of wonder in his eyes as he takes in his surroundings and learns new things. We walk around with him and his little head turns to acknowledge flowers, trees, sounds, people, etc. Since he has such great neck control, we started putting him face-out in his Bjorn carrier. Chad loves to carry him around this way and introduce him to the world.

After a few hours of walking around, Caleb was sound asleep and Chad and I had our first yummy date-like dinner since our baby boy was born- Seafood!! It was fantastic and in a different, special way- very romantic! Our Memorial Day trip a great success, a very happy and tired Mommy, Daddy, and baby got home safe and sound to enjoy the rest of the long weekend chilaxin at the house together. :)

Growing up way too fast!

I can't believe that two days ago our little boy turned 10 weeks old...it is so amazing how quickly the time flies. Yesterday, I had to take our rented breast pump back to the hospital (we finally broke down and bought one) and as we were leaving, we passed by a woman sitting in a wheelchair with her newborn ready to head home. Looking at that little one made me a little nostalgic because as someone pointed out recently, Caleb has lost his "newborn look." He is growing up so fast! In the past week, he has learned lots of new things- he is finally starting to lift his head all the way up and enjoy tummytime (although, he still only last about 5 minutes or so...), he has discovered his hands and feet and grabs onto them every chance he gets, and he has learned to hold and play with some of his toys! Currently, Caleb's favorite toy is his set of keys. He loves holding and shaking them as well as putting them in his mouth. In fact, Caleb puts EVERYTHING in his mouth lately. We actually asked the doctor if he could possibly be teething this early...she said maybe, but that this will most likely go on for months before we actually see any signs of him cutting teeth. Whoo, good thing! I'm am not looking forward to the day he decides to teethe on me while nursing!!! LOL!

Healthwise, Caleb's doing great! We have actually scaled back his reflux medicine to only taking it at night. Mainly, this is because for about a week now, our little smarty-pants has started spitting his entire morning dose back out while grinning at me. I tried to be stern and tell him this was "not ok" but it was so darn cute that most days, I couldn't help but crack a smile back. Anyways, I've finally given up since he seems to be doing just fine on the one dose- Chad says this is our son's first act of defiance toward Mommy, LOL! Per the doctor's strong recommendation, Caleb is back on Vitamin D drops...So far, so good. Rather than torture him with the stuff that he hated, I ordered some special drops online- Just one single tasteless drop= 100% daily dose. GREAT purchase!!

Well, I think that's about it for now! It's morning naptime and I'm finally beginning to master the art of getting things done around the house while little man sleeps. More updates soon!

Tummytime isn't so bad afterall!

Grabbing my footsies!

Caleb Talks To Himself!

How Big Is Caleb? Sooooo Big!!! :)

Today Caleb had his 2 month doctor's appointment. It went absolutely awesome! Our little man is now weighing 14 lbs 2 oz and is 24 1/4 inches long. That's the 90th percentile for both weight and height! The coolest news is that the doctor said that his motor skills are about that of a 4 month old! This is based on the fact that he can sit & stand in our laps with minimal back and zero neck support. I totally knew he was doing great on that but I never would've guessed he was 2 months ahead of the game!

Caleb also got all his shots today... :( Much to Mommy's surprise and happiness, he took it like a champ. He cried- but not much more than he does everytime we get him ready for bed at night. Then afterward, Daddy was changing his diaper and he started cooing at him like nothing was wrong. I was soooooo relieved! It breaks my heart to see my little boy upset! I'm hoping that he does not get a temp or anything but I guess we'll see...like the doctor said, now our little guys is protected from so many things so one icky day is totally worth it!

Caleb's Baptism

Yesterday, Chad and I watched as our little Caleb was baptised. It was beyond amazing. There are very few times when I am at a loss for words but this is truly one of them. All of his grandparents, aunts, and uncles were here for his special day and our little duder was a perfect angel...

The weekend began with a cookout at our house. Grandma and Grandpa got here first and were quickly followed by Memere, Saba, Auntie Katie, Uncle Mike, Nana, Poppa, Uncle Joe, & Aunt Jessica. Later on, Nick & Kirby, Deb, Ian, & Lukas, the Bartons, and Brandon & Katie all joined the fun. Caleb was so excited to see his family & friends! He spent the whole day cooing and smiling and making everyone fall in love with him just as much as his Daddy and I.

After an exciting day of visiting, Caleb was so sleepy tired that he slept all night long and woke up smiling and ready for his big day. With only one little throwup incident, the morning went pretty smoothly! :) Auntie Katie helped Mommy dress Caleb in his special outfit and Memere pinned a silver cross to his lapel. On the way to church, he fell sound alsleep...

Caleb's baptismal ceremony was flawless....well, almost anyway! LOL! How bout this--- Caleb was flawless! I, however, was a mess! As Pastor Bill led us through everything, both Chad and I got super emotional. We had looked forward to this day for so long and there was just no way we could contain our tears. I actually got so wrapped up in everything that at one point toward the end, I thought the ceremony was finished and so I started walking off the altar with Caleb...yeah, I was wrong! :) So we went back...LOL

Caleb was just amazing though!! I swear, it's like he really does know how much everyone's loving him! His eyes were wide as could be the whole time and when the water went over his head, he didn't flinch one bit! Then, Pastor Bill took him into his arms and introduced him to the congregation...again, wide eyes, zero tears. We were so proud of our little boy!!!!

Here is a video of Caleb's baptism. Enjoy!

My First Mothers Day!

It is so amazing how many blessings the past year has brought to our lives! Last Mothers Day was so sad for me...I can remember walking into church and Grace and Madi handing out roses to all of the mothers. They gave one to me and it was all I could do not to burst into tears right there. I tried to refuse, telling them that I was not a mommy yet but they insisted, telling me that I would be soon. Never in a million years did I guess how right they were! It's funny because I actually kept that rose...I let it dry in my car and then it was one of those wierd things that I refused to get rid of during my entire pregnancy.

For those of you who don't know...I had a few very bizarre superstitions that I kind of obsessed over for my 9+ months carrying Caleb. One of them was that I refused to change any of my jewelry that I was wearing the day I found out I was pregnant. I actually wore this cross bracelet that I had ordered from one of my neighbors fund raisers until it seriously was about to fall off. By the time Caleb was born, the silver coating on the cross was completely gone and the rope all frayed...When our little buddy decided to come late, I was so worried that it wouldn't make it till he was born. Then, I distinctly remember the moment I had to take it off at the hospital before my surgery. It was definitely an internal struggle for me because for some reason, I always equated taking it off or losing it as a sign that something might go wrong. Crazy, I know...We'll just chalk this one up to hormones!

Anyway!! LOL! Here we are, a year later and I am the happiest I have ever been in all of my life. Sure, some days are tough but one little smile from my munchkin and everything feels right in the world! Speaking of things being right in the world-- BIG NEWS!!! :) I am officially going to be a stay-at-home mommy next year! :) I am so happy with this decision because I cannot imagine missing all of the firsts that the next year will bring! Caleb and I will get to grow together and it is going to be AMAZING!

Caleb loves his fishies and butterflies!

7 Weeks Old- Getting So Big & Strong!!!

Caleb has done quite a bit of growing up in the past week!! Mommy and Daddy started a new bedtime routine of medicine, bath, feeding, bed...and it is working GREAT! Little munchkin slept through the night for 3 days in a row!!

Not only is Caleb sleeping better, but he is getting super strong!! Since he was born, he's hated his tummy time so I always feel bad for making him...expecially since up until today, he would just lay his head down and rub his face on his blanket or boppy and cry. Today though, Caleb must have sensed that he was a week older because as soon as I put him down, he popped his head up to say hi!

Saying "hi" is actually Caleb's favorite thing to do right now. He has learned to make the sound "Oh" and he gets such a kick out of mimicking Mommy and Daddy doing it! He watches our mouths, makes his mouth into an "O" shape, makes the noise, then quickly looks up into our eyes and smiles from ear to ear. It is seriously the cutest thing ever! :) Then we keep going back and forth like a game. I think it may be a little early for talking yet, but still, it's pretty clear our boy is a genius! :)