Saturday, August 30, 2008

Welcome to the Old Apartment

Hi Caleb,

When you were born, Daddy and I were living in a condo in the Q.  Since I hope we won't still be living there when you read this, I thought I take a little time to tell you about your first home!

Daddy bought the condo about a year and a half before you were born.  At the time, it was perfect for him.  It was good sized for one person and very close to the train station.  I was living in my own condo not too far away.  When we decided to move in together, we decided to live in Daddy's place because it was bigger.  We thought it was plenty big for two, but when you came along, it sure seemed to get smaller!! Not that you were big, but you had a LOT of stuff.  When I moved in, Daddy had electric guitars in the bedroom, a foosball table in the living room and an office full of stuff.  Very quickly, those things went away to be replaced by your crib, bassinette, exersaucer, swing, highchair, jumper.... the list goes on and on!! Even though things go crowded, we were very happy in your first home.

The building the condo was in was very interesting.  It was pretty old, so sometimes things, especially the elevator did not work.  We were on the fourth floor, so when we had things to carry, it was kind of a pain! The people living in the other units were interesting too.  We had nicknames for many of them- Shoeless lady, guy with dog, albino man.  You were the only baby in the building, but there were lots of cats, usually roaming the halls! There was also a box by the door filled with odds and ends that said "like, take." Dad and I never really figured that one out.  Sometimes the fire alarm went off at night, but Daddy usually refused to leave (I would take you out, though!)

Your first home was a funny place, but we were happy there.  We'll drive by and show it to you sometime!


Wednesday, August 13, 2008

How Sweet It Is!

Dear Caleb,

Today was Auntie Erin's birthday. To celebrate, we had dinner at Nana and Granky's house. After dinner, we had birthday cake. Daddy was holding you at the table while we ate the cake. You were staring at everyone eating and reaching for Daddy's plate. There was no question, you wanted some! We decided a teeny bit couldn't hurt, so Daddy put a little bit of frosting on his finger and you licked it off. It wasn't a lot, but enough for you to get the taste and you LOVED it. And so, at just about five months old, your sweet tooth was born!

Packing it on!

Hi Cal,

After your four month appointment, Annette suggested that we start giving you a big bowl of cereal twice a day to help you put on a bit more weight. From that day on, you began to have a quarter cup of cereal for breakfast and a quarter cup for dinner. The first few times, it was a bit messy, but once you got the hang of it, you loved it. After a few days, we started to add some fruits and veggies to your diet. Bananas were first, followed by pears, sweet potatoes and carrots. You liked it all! And it worked. Within a few weeks, Daddy and I could see that your face was getting chubbier and your clothes were fitting better. I was excited for your follow up weight check to see how much weight you had actually gained.

Your follow up appointment was three weeks after your four month appointment. Annette told us at four months that she was hoping to see you gain a pound by that appointment. Well, you did that and then some! At four months you were 9 pounds 10 ounces. At this appointment you were 11 pounds 2 ounces. One pound, 8 ounces in three weeks!! Daddy and I were so happy when the scale landed on that number! You are still skinny, but at least you are back on the chart!

Fingers and Toes

Hi Caleb,

When you were first born, the nurses at the hospital didn't give you a pacifier so we didn't give you one. At your first doctor's appointment, Annette recommended that we try one. She thought you might go longer between feedings if we gave you a pacifier. We stopped at the store on the way home to buy one. When we got home, I sterilized it and gave it to you. You did not like it. Someone suggested it might be too big, so a few days later, I bought another one. Sterilized it. Gave it to you. You did not like it. I went to Babies R Us to get you the kind they have at the hospital. You kind of liked that one, but mostly you would suck on it for a few minutes, then spit it out. If we held it in your mouth then you kind of liked it. But you didn't love it. Daddy and I were just about at the point where we were going to give up, when you discovered your thumb. From that point on, the pacifier was forgotten. You became a thumb sucker and you loved it.

After about a month of happy thumb sucking, you made another discovery. You found your feet. For a few days, you were content to just grab at your toes. But Daddy and I could tell you had other plans for those feet of yours. Sure enough, after a few days of grabbing at your feet, I went to check on you in your crib and you were sucking your toes. Like a mad man. And you were so happy. From that point on, your toes became your favorite thing to put in your mouth. You'll still suck your thumb if you can't get your toes, and when you are sleeping, but your toes are your favorite. Our little toe sucker.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

A Few of Your Favorite Things!

Hi Cal,

You are about 4.5 months old right now. As I write this, you are napping in your crib while Daddy and I sit on the couch. These months have gone by so fast and have been so great. I thought I would take some time to tell you about your favorite things so far.

Your very favorite toy is probably your exercise mat. It has arches that hang over you and toys hang from it. You love to lay on it and roll around, batting at the toys. You giggle and smile. Sometimes you'll stay there for over an hour!

You also really love your exersaucer and the bigger you get, the more you love it. You get to stand up in it and standing is another one of your favorite things. You don't like to sit and you love to move. You are a very wiggly, active baby!

You are still pretty small right now, but despite your size, you LOVE to eat. You get a big bowl of cereal in the morning and at dinner time. You love to have fruit mixed with it and so far pears seem to be your favorite. You like veggies too- so far you have had carrots and sweet potatoes. You get very excited when you see the spoon and often try to grab it and feed yourself. What a mess!

Just a few weeks ago, Daddy taught you how to blow bubbles and that has become a favorite activity. You laugh when someone blows them at you, and then you blow them back. Its pretty cute! You also love when I blow on your tummy. That makes you laugh VERY loud. You have a great laugh and the best smile. Your whole face lights up when you smile and you look so happy! Your smile is one of my favorite things in the whole world!

Of course, some of your very favorite things are the people in your life- Nana, Granky, Abba, Auntie Erin, everyone really! You get very happy when you see Cousin Dillan. He really loves you now and gives you hugs and kisses all the time. He likes to hold you and sit with you. You two are really getting to be good friends.

You especially love your Daddy. When he gets home from work and you hear his voice you get the biggest smile.

And, of course, I know that the mommy is your favorite of all your favorite things ;)

Your First Vacation

Dear Caleb,

What a week we have just had! You were on your very first vacation! Daddy, Nana, Granky, Auntie Erin, Uncle Sean, Cousin Dillan, Auntie Fallon, Uncle Pat, you and I all went to Maine for a whole week!

You and I left early on Friday morning. We picked up Auntie Erin, Cousin Dillan and Auntie Fallon at Nana and Granky's house and headed to York, Maine. We spent the day at York's Wild Kingdom and had a blast! Dillan loved all the animals and it was fun to spend the day with Erin and Fallon. After a few hours at the zoo, we drove to the lighthouse in York and had a great lunch at a beautiful spot. Once we were done, we got back on the road and headed the rest of the way our house in Limington.

This house has been in Nana's family for a long time. Her father, my Grampy, originally owned it. Now, Nana shares it with her brothers and sisters. Your cousins all enjoy taking their vacations there. I was so excited to take you there for the first time! By the time we got there, Nana and Granky were already there and so happy to see us. Uncle Pat, Uncle Sean and Daddy arrived later that night, after you were in bed. With all those people, the house was pretty crowded, but that was okay!

That first night was a little exciting. Right after we got there, it started to rain. The rain turned into a bad thunderstorm and we lost power. That meant no working stove and no running water. We had sandwiches for dinner and sat around talking by candlelight. This was hard for Dillan for two reasons. First, he couldn't understand why we wouldn't turn the TV on. Second, he wanted to blow out the candles and couldn't figure out why we wouldn't let him. He thought they were like birthday candles. We spent most of the night trying to keep him from blowing them out!

When we woke up the next morning, the power was still out. I made breakfast for all of us on the grill and we talked about what to do. We knew if the power didn't come back on soon, we would have to go home. Luckily, it came back just before lunch time.

Unfortunately, the rain didn't really stop when the lights came back on. It rained off and on for most of the week. That didn't stop us, though. We still did a lot of fun things. We went to a dairy farm that we have been going to for a long time. We got ice cream, bought some homemade cheese and played at the petting zoo. You especially like the goat, which came right up to you and kind of licked your hand. One day, Mommy's friend Gina came over with her two kids and we spent the day playing at the pond. Another day, Nana and Granky took you to Portland to buy lobsters while Mommy and Daddy went canoeing. By Friday, the weather was nicer so we took you to Freeport for the day. We did a lot of shopping and even toured a vodka factory. Saturday was beautiful so we spent the morning at the pond swimming and then left for home in the late afternoon.

We arrived home around dinner time on Saturday night, tired but very happy with how well our first family vacation went. We can't wait for the next one, and for all the fun things we will do together as you get bigger.

Peanut Boy

Hi Caleb,

Today you had your fourth month doctor's appointment. You saw Annette, and for the most part, it was a good appointment. You are healthy and strong. You smiled through most of the appointment and Annette was very impressed by you. Only two negatives to this appointment.

The first negative was your weight. You hadn't gained very much since your two month appointment. You only weigh 9lbs 10ozs, which is VERY small for a four month old. It wasn't even on the chart! You have only gained 1 lb, 4 ozs since your last appointment. Annette wasn't too worried, but she told us to start giving you cereal to bulk you up a little bit. That's fine by us, because we have already been giving you cereal for a few days! Hopefully, that will help you get a bit bigger. You seem to like it, so that's a good thing!

The second negative was your second round of vaccinations. I can not stand to see you get the shots. I feel so terrible letting them do something that I know hurts you! Daddy handles it well, though, so he held you while you got them. You cried for a few minutes, but got over it pretty quickly. No more until 6 months!

So that's the update. You are a peanut, but a healthy peanut. We will go back to the doctor in three weeks to see how your weight gain is going. Lets hope for a pound!

Tears...

Hi Caleb,

I feel like we have to be honest, and tell some of the less pleasant things that happen in your life. Mostly you were a happy, laidback baby. You usually only cried when you were hungry. It was pretty rare that you would fuss for no reason. Most days, you woke up smiling. People often commented on how good you were. Sometimes, however, you would cry because of something Daddy or I did. It didn't happen too often, but when it did, it was the worst, so I'll just give you two examples- one Daddy, one Mommy.

The mommy example came pretty early on and happened at Nana and Granky's house. I was giving you a bath in the sink, which I do not like to do. You get very slippery and wiggly in your bath. Well, on this particular occasion, as I was washing you, you kind of slipped. Or I kind of dropped you. Under the water. I scooped you up immediately, but the damage was done. You had gone under the water and you didn't like it one bit. You cried like your heart was broken, real tears, and I almost cried myself. You recovered quick but it was still a very terrible moment.

The daddy example is a bit more intense. As I was feeding you one night, I noticed your fingernails needed to be cut and asked Daddy to do it while you were distracted with eating. He did and, in the process, cut three of your fingers. You screamed and cried louder than I have ever heard you. And you bled. A lot. Daddy felt awful, I thought he was going to cry. You are a pretty tough guy, so you got over it soon, but it was a long time until you got your nails cut again.

So there's the ugly truth. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy made mistakes. Sorry! We will try harder in the future not to break you!

Re-Vo-Lu-Tion!!

Dear Caleb,

In case you haven't realized it yet, your Daddy LOVES soccer. He likes to watch it, to play it, to talk about it. His favorite team right now is the English team Arsenal. But he also loves the New England Revolution. As a matter of fact, this year he has season's tickets. He really likes going to the games, so it was only a matter of time before he wanted to take you!

You were almost four months old when you attended your first Rev's game. I was a little nervous about taking you, but Daddy was so excited. It was a bit cool, so we bundled you up and headed to Gilette Stadium. We met up with Tony and Kerry in the parking lot and you had your first tailgating experience. You seemed to enjoy it. We heated your milk on the little hibachi and Daddy fed you, so you were pretty happy. He wore you into the game in the sling, and you were pretty content. It was noisy in the game, but you didn't fuss. You stayed awake, looking around at all the people and things going on. The Revolution took the lead pretty quick, which made Daddy happy. I could tell how much he loved having you at the game with him. I know he can't wait until your bigger and going to the games becomes a regular thing for the two of you!

We stayed at the game until almost the very end, we left about ten minutes early. The Revs won and Daddy got to have his first soccer experience with his boy!

All American Boy!

Hi Cal,

For a long time, the Fourth of July has been my favorite holiday. The weather is usually nice, the day is spent outside, cookouts mean no one has to spend tons of time preparing food, and there's no pressure for presents or spending tons of money. I love it!

In Quincy, the festivities usually kick off on the third, with bonfires, block parties and fireworks all over the city. When I was in high school and college, I loved going to the bonfire in Hough's Neck (but those are stories for another time). Times have changed a bit, so instead of going to Hough's Neck this year, we went to Tony and Kerry's for a lobster bake. Bard and Nadine were there too. It was lots of fun- you had a great time playing on your blanket of their floor, smiling and laughing with everyone. When it got to be bed time, you slept in your car seat in Tony and Kerry's room. A perfect angel on your first third of July!

The fourth has always been spent at Auntie Jackie's pool. She has a cookout and the whole family comes. Its usually a great time! This year was no exception. The weather was a bit cool, but other than that, things were perfect. Once again, you were the hit of the party- everyone passing you around, wanting to play with you. Even Abba came this year!

Like usual, you didn't sleep during the cookout. Too much to see, I guess. As it got later, I gave you to Uncle Mike to hold while I helped clean up. When I came back, you were sound asleep with him in the rocking chair. It was pretty cute, he was so happy to be spending time with you. It was the perfect ending to the day!

There was only one problem on the fourth this year. Nana had bought you an awesome bathing suit and matching shirt to wear. It was so cute and I couldn't wait for you to wear it. When I got you dressed, however, I couldn't find the suit. I could find the shirt, but not the suit. I turned the whole house upside down to find it, including dumping all your clothes on the floor. I think Daddy thought I was going nutso! I didn't find it and was so disappointed you had to wear something else. Of course, I found it the very next day, wedged behind the drawer! Despite this setback, we still had an excellent day. I hope you like this holiday as much as I do as you get older. But I don't think I'll be letting you go to the bonfire in Hough's Neck until you are much, much older!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Back to Work :(

Hi Caleb,

When I found out you were due at the end of March, I was pretty psyched. Being a teacher, I couldn't have timed it better. If you came when you were due, or after, I would not have to go back to work until September. Six whole months to spend time with you. But you came a week early. So I have to go back to work. For three whole days.

I'm pretty bummed about this work thing. Daddy doesn't have much sympathy and I can see his point. Its only three days and then I have the summer off. There won't be any kids around because exams are over. My principal said I could come and go as I needed to. Nana volunteered to watch you. It could be so much worse, but that's not the point. I'm not sad about going to work- I like my job. I'm sad because it means my maternity leave is over, that that period of time has ended. It means you are getting bigger and don't need me quite as much. It means someone else is going to get to spend the time with you that's usually OUR time. It means I have to leave you for longer that a couple hours. Sucky.

I know you'll have fun with Nana, and I know I'll survive. But don't do anything too cool while I'm gone. I'll be home as soon as I can.

Rugged Mountain Men.

Cal,

I love to hike. I especially love to hike with Daddy. I'm not sure that Daddy loves to hike. As a matter of fact, I don't even know that Daddy LIKES to hike. Its usually hot, often buggy and very frequently we get lost. Those things don't really bother me, making it to the top makes them worth it. I'm not sure Daddy feels the same. But he hikes with me because he knows I love it. And because I love it, I couldn't wait to take you hiking. So today, memorial day, at barely 3 monts old, you went on your first hike. Daddy carried you in the sling. You were the most popular guy on the mountain, everyone we saw commented on how cute you were, even though you are so small you could barely be seen over the carrier. It wasn't too hot and we didn't get lost. Your first hike was a success and I can't wait to do it again!

On a side note, carrying you in the carrier makes Daddy very hot. When he gets hot, he sweats. Also, you tend to drool a bit. The combo of sweat and drool made Daddy's shirt very wet. That didn't bother you, though. You spent a lot of the time trying to lick the moisture off of Daddy's shirt. Pretty gross, but very funny.

Mornings with Dad.

Hi Cal,

I am not a morning person. I like to sleep late. Your dad, however, is an early bird. He likes to get up way before I do. This works out well, in my opinion. I am up a lot in the night feeding and changing you. He gets up with you from 6 o'clock on, which gives me a chance to sleep for a few hours while the two of you play in the living room. Usually, I sleep during this time, but sometimes I wake up. And spy. Yup, you heard right. I spy on you and Daddy.

The reason I spy is because I love to see you and Daddy together. You are such a little version of him and he loves you so much. I love to watch him play with you and to see him smile at you. Even just seeing you lay on the couch with him makes me happy. I know you two are going to have so much fun in the years to come!

So, yeah, I love my sleep. But somedays I'm willing to trade it to watch you and Dad together. Its worth missing sleep over.

See Animals?

Hi Caleb,

You are nearly two months old. This second month of your life has been a busy one for you, thanks in part to Cousin Dillan! Nana watches him two or three days a week and as the weather has gotten nicer, we have been trying to think up fun "field trips" for him. He loves animals, so several of our trips have been so he could "see animals."

Our first trip to the animals was to the Trailside Museum at the Blue Hills. This was one of my FAVORITE places when I was little. You mostly slept on our first visit, but Dillan loved it. He wanted to see everything. Nana could barely keep up with him! He loved the otter and the rats, but his favorites were the turtles! He couldn't get enough of them!

Inside the museum was a gift shop that sold toy versions of the animals. Nana wanted to get Dillan a souvenier. Right at the front of the shop, though, there was a basket of rubber snakes. Well, Dillan was so afraid of those snakes that he wouldn't look at any of the other toys! (He got over this fear the second time we went- he got two rubber frogs, one of which he immediately threw into the turtle pond.) We left that first visit with no toy for Dillan.

Because Dillan did so well at the Trailside, we decided our next field trip would be the Franklin Park Zoo. We invited Kelli and Alex to come with us. We packed a picnic lunch and had the best day! If we thought Dillan like the museum, it was nothing compared to how much he loved the zoo! He and Alex had a blast seeing the lions, monkeys, birds and more! Once again, you slept through most of it, but I'm sure you will love it too when you get bigger.

A museum and a zoo. Pretty good for a two month old! And there are lots more field trips to come!

Your Christening.

Dear Caleb,

Today was your Christening! It was an awesome day and never have I been so proud to be your Mommy!

We had you christened at St. John's Church. Deacon Lewis did a private ceremony just for you because he is my friend Meaghan's dad. He did a great job! We were almost late for the service because you kept making your diaper dirty, so we had to change you three times before we could get out the door. We made it just in time! Lots of your Aunties, Uncles and cousins came to see you be welcomed into the church. You wore Cousin Dillan's christening gown and Auntie Erin and Uncle Sean were your Godparents.

After the service, we had a party at Abba's apartment building. So many friends and family came to celebrate you! You were passed around from person to person all day- everyone wanted to hold you! You were so well behaved through it all- you didn't make a peep. You stayed awake the whole time, checking everything out! Everyone was amazed at what a good boy you were!

We're home now and you are sound asleep, wiped out from your party. Daddy and I are tired too. I bet we all sleep well tonight!

Psst... Wanna hear a secret?

Hi Cal,

I have a confession to make. Don't tell Daddy! You are about 6 weeks old right now, and you still aren't sleeping through the night. You are, however, going for longer stretches- sometimes four or five hours. That makes me think that it won't be long before you start sleeping all night. That makes me sad because my secret is that I really, really like the nighttime feedings. You sleep in the basinette next to our bed, and when you wake, I take you to the rocking chair in your room and feed you and rock you. Sometimes, I hold you long after you fall asleep. I'm tired and I like to sleep, but I really love the quiet time with you, when I can just look at you and talk quietly to you. I love how content you get when I feed you. I love that I can do that for you because I am the mommy. I know when you start sleeping through the night, I'll be glad for the rest, but I'll miss our late night visits. So, it's okay if you don't sleep through the night quite yet. No rush!

Let's not tell Daddy about this. I like the sympathy that sleepless nights gets me!

Here We Go Red Sox!

Caleb,

Before you were born, one of my favorite things to do was to go to Red Sox games at Fenway Park. I went to my first game when I was about ten, with my childhood best friend. It was so much fun and from that moment, I was hooked! A member of Red Sox Nation for life! Games are pretty expensive and very hard to get tickets to, but tons of fun!

Daddy and I typically got to two or three games each season. When we first started dating, I took him to Chicago to see the Red Sox play the White Sox. We had an awesome weekend, but nothing compares to seeing them at home! That's why its fitting, I guess, that our first outing without you after your birth was to a Sox game.

Daddy came home from work two days ago to tell me that his Uncle Bill had offered him tickets for tonight's game. It was only the second home game of the season! I was really torn over going- I wanted to, but didn't want to leave you, and you were way too little to go with us! Who would babysit you? Would you cry? Would you eat? What if you needed me? Daddy convinced me you would be fine and that Abba had volunteered to be your first babysitter. I was so nervous, but decided to go.

I pumped a ton yesterday and today to make sure you had plenty to eat. I don't know why I thought a one month old would be able to eat 20 ounces in four hours, but that's how much I left with Abba! We dropped you off around 6, I could tell Abba was so happy to have a chance to spend time with you. We left quick before I could change my mind. We drove to the ballpark and had a great time. It was so strange, though, to be without you!

We checked in with Abba a few times during the game and she assured us you were doing great, but we still left early. The Sox were up by a few runs when the 8th inning started, so we decided to head home. I practically ran down the hall to Abba's apartment, I was so happy to see you.

The Sox won the game and I survived my first night out. It went pretty well, but I think we'll wait a while before doing it again!

Bottle.

Dear Caleb,

Today was a big day. You drank out of a bottle for the first time. We were at Babies R us with Nana when you got hungry. We went into the Mother's Room and Nana thought I would nurse you in there, but I had a surprise for her. I packed a bottle because I knew she was dying to feed you! I was nervous you wouldn't want it, but you drank it like a champ! I have to admit, it made me a bit sad and maybe even jealous to let someone else feed you, but I saw how happy Nana was to have the chance and that made me feel better. I can't wait for Daddy to have a chance to feed you, too! Maybe he can take over some of the late night feedings...

Month One in Review!

Hi Cal,

You are one month old today. Can you believe it? I sure can't. This month has gone by so fast! It seems like just yesterday we were dreaming about you, five minutes ago that we were in the hospital with you. At the same time, I can't imagine life without you or remember what it was like before you joined us. You are such an awesome baby. I know I'm biased, but I think you are pretty amazing. It has been so much fun getting to know you! I can't wait to see what next month brings!