Baby it's cold outside

Brrr. It's been pretty chilly-for California that is. As much as I love the Christmas season, I'm missing the long summer days and warmer nights already! I better get out my Christmas decorations quick. I must admit, I've been a little afraid to go outside. It just looks so daunting with the clouds, the cold air, the energy it takes to bundle up Caleb. I guess I've been a little lazy but I was still recovering from that dreadful 8.5 hour car ride with Mr. fuss man. But after finally get a full night of sleep and Caleb back to sleeping almost two hours for his morning AND afternoon nap, I figured, what the heck. We're bundling up and we're going outside! I've still been braving it for our daily walks mind you, but having Caleb romping around outside is another matter. So my little eskimo had a grand time. Sitting, Standing, Walking, Cruising, and for the first time ever...and I actually managed to get this on video (before he face planted, bad mommy) bike riding! Well, pooh train riding. I don't know what you would call it but he enjoyed himself.

Thankful

For family. Friends. Seasons. Life. Living. People that come into our lives and change it forever. For the good. The bad. And the beautiful of everyday.


We had a great Thanksgiving weekend of celebrating with family and friends. We got to spend extra time visiting with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins. Finally got to see my best friend's baby bump and feel that baby kicking! It almost makes me want to be pregnant again. We were able to visit my residents who I worked with the year before I married my amazing hubby. We surprised them. And boy were they ever surprised. Caleb charmed them all. Caleb spent the day at the park with his dad, Aunt katie, and Uncle andrew and had a ball. I enjoyed a lot of dates with my hubby all weekend long (usually just out and about by ourselves) while the aunties and Nani and Pops watched Caleb. And we got almost all our Christmas present shopping done! All for under 100 bucks. yay. i know pretty amazing but even more amazing than that is that they are meaningful. oh and did I mention our annual Christmas card? Oh yes. That is almost done as well! Pictures were taken, cards were found. Now they just need the letter to go along with it. Last year with a two month old, we were writing our Christmas letter in the car, the day before Christmas. This year, we're a little bit more put together :)

To top off a great Thanksgiving weekend, we endured a 7.5 hour car drive with a VERY fussy toddler. Poor Aunt Katie, little did she know what she was getting into. When we got home at 10 o'clock last night, I've never been more happy to see our bed and to have Caleb in his own bed. We all slept the best we've slept in more than 2 weeks! Ah.

At the park....

Tree decorating at my aunt and uncle's house.

iv>

Haha. Yes. I think this about sums up how our lives have been around here the past week or so with a sick/teething/trying to walk all over the place but still not quite there-baby. Yep.

When Nani comes to town

there's a whole lotta this...

and a bunch of this... I think Caleb knew he was being recorded, but I certainly don't think Nani did :)

One two step

I was finally able to capture Caleb taking some steps thanks to having two other people in the room to assist. Slow and steady. He's taken maybe ten at a time now but is still trying to get the hang of it.
Sorry for the shaking. I was cracking up because of his new 'side step' he has been doing lately.

Enjoy :)

Uh Oh!

Yes. We've been working on this word all week. And I think he's finally getting it. Well half of it. O O O. Just a little entertainment before bath time. Because this boy is always entertaining us.

Because I can't help myself

And because these dance moves from this boy of mine crack me up every. single. time.

A girl will always need her mama

You know how when you're little and you're sick and your mom is pulling the all nighter with you, her cool hands on your hot skin, her gentle touch that makes everything all right. And then you grow up. Now you're the mom holding your baby to your chest, kissing away the tears. But just because we're all grown up doesn't mean we don't still need our own mom.
The past couple days have been a little rough. It's never easy for me to watch my baby in pain and not feeling good. I get stressed out and burnt out. So much so that I was wishing our family was closer to give us a little break. Dave even had a dream my mom came up to help with Caleb because he was up so much last night, in the dream she drove straight up and we went on a date. Ha. It's kind of ridiculous but I admit-from about 4-6 am when Caleb was awake as all get out I was wishing my mom was here. He always falls asleep in her arms.

Little did I know...My mom is kissing away the tears and holding my hand again. I'm all grown up but I still need my mom and am so happy she surprised us and is on her way up here!

Really. Truly. I am so blessed. Moms are the best.

De Ja Vu

What is it about birthday and colds for our little guy? First on Caleb's birthday and now on Dave's.
Today Caleb's day went a little like this... playing in cozy PJ's all morning because it was cold outside. Sneezing, sniffling, and somehow not letting any of that keep him down. Eating and drinking lots of liquids. Taking a short morning nap unfortunately since it was hard to breathe with all those sniffles. Missing out on playgroup with friends so no one else catches this cold. Missing Dad at lunch time. He had a work lunch in. Taking our daily walk to get some fresh air. More playing. Taking another short nap. Still can't figure out the breathing with a Bink in. Continuing the nap with mom to help get more rest for our sick guy. So happy for Dad to come home and play. Enjoying dinner as always. And getting cozy in bed with Vick's vapor rub, humidifier, and some saline nasal spray. All the works for our baby boy. Despite the cold the appetite is still going as strong as ever. This boy is not one to refuse a plate of food.

Days like today make me thankful that it's nothing more than the sniffles and that I can be home to cuddle and wipe away all the snot- and there was a lot of it. Life as a mother. Not so glamorous. But so worth every cuddle and every smile.

Happy Birthday to my Hubs!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life. Dave, you are an amazing husband and father and I couldn't be happier spending my life with you. Happy Birthday!! (27 Years old...getting up there :)

A Good Weekend

Always leaves me wishing for more...Why does Monday come so soon?
We enjoyed being home this weekend soaking up the sunshine.

Huge dimply grin at the sight of Dad coming near.
Peek-a-Boo

Little Chub Chub on those legs still :)

Happy as can be at our favorite Italian Restaurant in Gilroy, doing an early celebrating of Dave's Birthday

I love warm Fall weather. It makes me feel like Summer hasn't left us completely yet. It was such a nice weekend. Bike riding, window shopping, and celebrating an early birthday for Dave at our favorite Italian restaurant in Gilroy. This was our second time ever taking Caleb to a nice place alone just the three of us; we tend reserve nice dinners out for date nights without baby in tow, with good reason.

And here are my reasons...

A. Why spend money on a nice dinner when it obviously can't be that nice with baby throwing food to the ground usually accompanied by grunts and shrieks.

B. A dinner out always involves more than just dinner. Diaper change, clothes change, and packing for the above=tired mama and dad!

C. Surprises. And I don't mean good ones.

Hence why we've done the dinner out to a nice restaurant a grand total of two times in Caleb's life. We're only brave when family takes us out and are there to assist with baby.

With all that being said shall I mention our surprise of the night?

Dave got an early birthday surprise...and the only 'good' of the surprise was that Caleb waited till the end of our dinner to give it to him. I'm sure this isn't a hard one to figure out. I'll give you three words. Red. Face. Grunting.

Yep. You guessed right. Caleb pooped a mother of all loads, red face and all, and to our embarrassment it smelled up our entire table and trailed us as we left the restaurant (I can honestly say I'm pretty sure it was the worst one yet) how sorry I felt for those behind us getting the tail wind of it.

But that's not all my friend, that's not all. Dave kindly volunteered himself to change that smelly poo diaper and got more than he bargained for because it ended up all over his hand. Ew.

To conclude. We probably won't be taking Caleb alone with us, out to dinner, for a very long time.

Thank You. Surprises.

Watch Out World

This pictures makes me fear for the future. Teenage driver headed our way in 15 years...I'll kindly bid my time until that day.

Long gone

are those days of being this flexible. How are kids so flexible? Seriously. And those toes must have been pretty tasty.

We're home :)

And so happy to be back. We spent the past few days down in Santa Clarita while Dave was at a Conference in San Diego for work. It was nice to be down with my family and not alone up here while Dave was gone. Caleb was spoiled by his Aunties and Nani and Pops (They were sneaking him frosting and chips and giving him foot massages and ear rubs; lucky him). It's nice to be back home though. And as a Welcome Home treat Caleb got to visit his favorite tree...


When Caleb isn't throwing a TT (and he's been throwing a few of those lately)... He's busy throwing apples instead...

My Wish

When I see this picture I think of the song My Wish by Rascal Flatts and I am reminded of the line..."When one door closes another door opens..."
When I took a leave from school while I was earning my teaching credential and had Caleb, I knew I would go back to finish one day when Caleb was older. I was thankful that I already had my bachelor's degree but it was still hard to stop with one semester left because I felt like I was quiting. At the same time I knew I couldn't have him and finish because of the stress and because I knew that it was more important to have my time with Caleb and my family. I knew school would always be there. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. I don't regret a thing. My time with Caleb has been the most precious gift I could have ever received. The early days were tough. I would watch Dave leave the front door and wish that it was me instead of him getting to leave the house. It was so overwhelming at times. Things are so much easier now for me and I love my days home with Caleb and having the freedom to take him places and the joy of watching him discover new things everyday. My prayer for Caleb is that he will always know that God will place us exactly where we are meant to be. His timing is perfect. More than I can put into words Caleb is the sweetest gift to us. And being blessed with the privilege to be his mom is something I am always grateful for.

13 Months

I realized this is almost a week late but I completely forgot that Caleb turned 13 months this past Monday, sharing the day with Auntie Laura's 22nd birthday and my parents' 30th wedding anniversary! And more birthdays this month. Happy Birthday to Grandpa G who had his birthday yesterday and Dave's is next week :) Wow!

Here is what Caleb has been up to this month

Fully recovered from 2 ear infections and croup
Taking steps a lot but still not walking ind. all the time
Says MaMa or Mum, DaDa, Nana, RaRa, BaBa, WaWa, and (Pop,heard it just this week) still without meaning
Puts things into other things
Loves opening and shutting everything
Enjoys peek-a-boo
Loves to be chased
Sleeps through the night (unless we are traveling, boo) and takes a morning and afternoon nap that last about 1.5 hours, those 30 min cat naps are long gone!
Eats with abandon everything we give him. Especially enjoys peas (even better frozen on those teeth), lentil soup, pj sandwiches, farm pears, peaches, and applesauce, and pasta :)And I don't kid. This child seriously eats everything...for now anyway.
I'm waiting for the toddler picky appetite to kick in.
Drinks whole milk from his sippy and is no longer nursing
Gives kisses
Waves bye and hi without us telling him to, to himself and to strangers on the street.

We love you Caleb. Happy 13 months!

Backyard Exploration

Today Caleb seemed to be all over the place. He wanted to walk all over. He took almost 8 steps to Dave which was pretty exciting (that's the most he's ever taken) He was so full of energy all day. Letting him play in the backyard lets him get all his steam out. I was pretty entertained because usually he stays pretty close. But not today. He was on a mission to get into everything and has taken notice of the trees it seems. I should mention that he has a thing for apples. He loves them. We peel the skin off and he eats it to the core. Somehow he figured out that we have an apple tree in our backyard and since that discovery he must crawl over, stand up, and try and take down every apple in order to have a little munch. At the munching point we distract but it's so funny how he has figured out the source of all apples :)
Here's a little photo play by play.
From here... to there...

to somehow up there

First tree...

and then along to over there

to the apple tree

eye on the prize

stretching as far as those arms will go
and on the tippy toes

Victory! (Okay, I may have let him take a little nibble, or two as evidenced by the bite mark on apple number 1). I couldn't help myself. He was working so hard to get those apples off of the tree. I couldn't deny my little apple picker after all that tough work. I think we may have a farm boy in training! We'll have to take him apple picking for real now.

Sigh. All in a day's work for this little guy. I was exhausted just watching :)

Family Bike Ride

Yes. I admit. We are a bit nerdy :)

Sisters ;)

My little man.

We were so excited to go on a family bike ride on a bike path! It has been so long since I have been able to ride with Dave. Caleb's finally getting used to his helmet and was sitting straight up the whole ride trying to take it all in. We've been practicing. Biking around town, to the library, to the park. He's becoming a champ bike passenger.

Halloween 2010

Pretty impossible to get a picture of these cuties in their Halloween costumes. They all attended their first Halloween Party hosted by that cute little pumpkin in the picture. It was a good time and fun way to celebrate.

We had my sister up too for the weekend. You can't see in the pic but we are wearing some pretty good looking stockings. Dave went as Christopher Robin. Caleb, Pooh Bear.


My little beggers who wanted a taste of some chocolate chip pumpkin muffin. I can't blame them. I was stuffing my face with more than a couple. They were delish..
Happy Halloween :)

Snug as a Bug

And somehow Caleb took a nap like this...arm wedged, legs crossed. It just does not look comfortable.