Little footsteps in the garden

Caleb was MIA the other day. I was inside for a few minutes and when I went back outside Caleb was nowhere to be found. And then I saw a little flash of blue inside the garden area. Somehow Caleb found his way into (opened up the white fence) the garden and was as busy as ever. Picking up rocks and sticks. Plucking some fresh strawberries, and just doing what he does best. Digging in the dirt and touching everything in his path.
So now I'll have to watch a little more closely so our raspberries don't meet their fate in the little but not always so gentle hands of a toddler boy named Caleb.

Not for the faint of heart

This parenting bit.
Here's my little stint on how the 'big boy bed' move is going...so I can look back and remember as hard as it seems now, it's going to seem so much easier looking back.

Sunday Night(night 1)
We do our normal bedtime routine with Caleb in his big boy bed room that he happily played in all day. Plop him on his bed, sing some songs, and he lays right down. He snuggles up with his blanket and monkey. Say his prayers. Leave the room. Caleb whines and fusses for about 30-45 minutes and we do a few check ins ( I think maybe 2 or 3) but he isn't that upset and never leaves the bed.
Sleeps soundly (not a peep) for 11hrs! Wow Caleb. Too good to be true?

Monday Nap time (nap 1)
Normal nap routine but Caleb is extra tired from an earlier wake up (has been sleeping 12 hrs usually) so extra upset with me and cries for about 30 minutes with 1 check in. Never leaves the crib. Soundly sleeps for 1hr 15 minutes (a shorter than normal nap) usually naps 2-3 hrs but he is unable to go back to sleep

Monday Night (night 2)
Bedtime routine, cries/whines to sleep, 2 check-ins, asleep within 30 minutes, never leaves bed.
Silent as a church mouse....until 5:10 Tuesday morning....and our little guy has found his way out of his bed. (At least we have discovered he does it properly, a butt scoot down the little opening)We quickly walk him right back, tell him still time to sleep (it's only been 10 hrs and he usually sleeps 11-12). Sing a couple songs, hold his hand, and then leave. Door bangs..bring Caleb back to bed, soothe, and leave. Door bangs, 3rd attempt. Dave stays with Caleb. Then at 6:20 an hr later, Caleb sat up in bed, pointed to the door, signed more and said num num (food) and was done trying to go back to sleep. Which makes for a messed up nap time.....

Tuesday Nap time 10am (a much earlier nap due to extra early wake up) (nap 2)
nap routine, soothe, leave, door banging. I go back in (Caleb is sitting in front of the door with his blanket and monkey. Melt. My. Heart)and bring Caleb back to bed, soothe, Caleb is getting more drowsy, so I leave. Caleb promptly gets out of bed and door bangs. At this point, I decide to let him work it out for himself for a bit. I hear him get quieter and it sounds as though he is back in bed, then the door bangs, mama chants, then some soft whining and sounds like he is back in bed again....a few minutes later and it is quiet.
A quick peek in reveals Caleb soundly asleep. In his bed. I was kind of impressed. I thought for sure he'd be smack in front of the door, on the floor. But he knows where he belongs.



I'm going to continue my chanting 'he can do it, he can do it, he can do it' and so can I...

One more step towards independence...

Transitions and change, I've never been too fond of. But I've always enjoyed the looking back on how much they have helped me to grow and learn, even if at the time I cried many tears. I can see why God has placed those little steps along the way, so that those big leaps don't seem as scary. Now I watch my own baby boy as he takes baby steps in life. Physically, emotionally, verbally, etc. A big one has been sleep. First learning to sleep in his crib, then without being rocked to sleep or nursed to sleep, to without a pacifier, and now, to a big boy bed. Funny how something that seems so normal can be such a big change. Tonight is Caleb's first night in his new bed. And as he helped build the bed, bring over his clothes from his old room, and as we set everything up I was excited and sentimental of course. Where did my little baby go? Before I know it he'll be off to his first sleep over and then one day he'll be leaving his childhood bedroom and we'll be dropping him off at college. I know it's a long way off, but I still have to pinch myself because I can't quite believe how fast the time has gone and how much faster it is going to go. I also have to laugh a little. Because I am more hesitant to place these steps in his path, and I worry over how Caleb will handle it, but of course most of the time he does better than we thought. Coping better than we imagined. And I am reminded that it is our job to help our children find their wings, so that they may learn how to fly...
Caleb loved helping dad build his bed. He had to be right in the action (personal space, what is that?)


Hoping Caleb feels safe and sleeps well tonight. At bedtime tonight it took him a little longer than usual to go down, but he never got out of bed. I don't think he's figured how to yet (I'd be happy if it stays that way for a bit but I'm not counting on it)...we'll see what the night brings us.

A day in Monterey

You know those moments? The ones where you squeeze tight and hold on, hoping to remember forever? I was having a few of those today. Having a lunch picnic with my boys. Watching Caleb say hi to the ducks and swans and then as soon as they got too close, he would hold up both his hands to try and fend them off. Riding along the bike path, breathing in the sweet sea air, feeling the mist, and breathing deeply. Taking a break by the water, dipping our toes in the cold ocean waves, holding my husband's hand in my own, kissing my little boy's cheeks. Breathing in the scent and feel of my family. Having a heart squeeze. The past two weeks that held worry and sickness and just the daily to do slipped far from my mind, the worries that I too often carry fell away. The trying to get everything packed and loaded and unpacked and the drive to and from and everything in between....it didn't matter. In those little moments of the day, I paused, and I smiled, and I wrapped it around my heart. To hold for awhile.

A much needed day with my family :)

A Happy Friday :)

Because, our little guy is feeling much better! Croup cough is gone. Still coughing a little from allergies, so still doing the breathing treatment, but will hopefully be done by today :) So thankful for his amazing doctor and modern medicine! Hope he stays well this weekend so we can set up his big boy bed :)
Happy Weekend to everyone.

Knocked down again

Poor guy. Can't catch a break. First a fever and rash last week (turned out to be Roseola) and now this week, croup and allergy flare up. Resulting in two dr. visits in two weeks. And two different medicines to go with a breathing treatment to help open up Caleb's lung so he can breathe more easily. After a brutal day on Wednesday of coughing every few minutes and starting up treatment and a good 15 hrs of nightime sleep, he woke up Thursday a much happier boy. He's on the mend now. Croup cough is gone and allergy cough barely there. We are so thankful for his amazing doctor and modern medicine!

Dancing in the rain

Thunder. Lightening. Rain. In the warm spring heat. Something that doesn't happen too much in California. So we danced, splashed, felt, tasted, and relished the damp rain on our face on a warm spring day.