The Daily Caleb: 5/31/08

In which Caleb and Daddy recover from some difficult Saturday morning yardwork and a surprise thunderstorm. I hope Caleb can hold his breath!

The Daily Caleb: 5/30/08

In which Caleb mistakes Mommy's arm for something else entirely:

The Daily Caleb: 5/29/08

In which Calebuddha's disciples listen intently as he expounds on his teachings:

The Daily Caleb: 5/28/08

In which Caleb practices his "tummy time":

Spring is here . . .

And we didn't kill the roses!

Where Caleb's Been

He's pretty well-traveled for a six-week old!



(That's Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.)


create your own visited states map

The Daily Caleb: 5/27/08

In which Caleb recovers from his long, tiring journey:

Weekend Recap

Well, we all made it back safely from Ohio last night, though it did take us about ten hours (it's normally a seven-hour drive).

Caleb had a great time at the party, meeting his friends and family in Ohio. Here is a picture of four generations all together:




And one of Caleb with his Great Grandpa:



Here he is on the motorcycle with his Mom's Uncle Ron:



I think Caleb's response to all the madness was summed up on the onesie he was wearing:

Blog Offline

We're leaving for Ohio now, for Caleb's first big trip. Regular posting will resume upon our return. Have a great weekend.

Memorial Day

This weekend, many of us will be getting together with family and friends, cooking out, and generally celebrating the beginning of summer.

Please take a moment and remember the reason for this long weekend: paying tribute to those brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for our way of life, so that we and others might be free.

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.

Thanks and praise, for our days,
'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars, neath the sky;
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.

The Daily Caleb: 5/22/08

In which Caleb gets all packed for his trip to Ohio tomorrow:

The Daily Caleb: 5/21/08

In which Caleb reminds us he is six weeks old today:

The Daily Caleb: 5/20/08

In which Caleb has his first Starbuck's outing. Mommy's order: Grande iced skinny vanilla latte. Caleb's order: Bottled decaf no foam latte hold the espresso. He regrets his decision to go decaf.

The Daily Caleb: 5/19/08

In which Caleb is unhappy with Daddy's attempts to take a picture:

The Daily Caleb: 5/18/08

In which Caleb sleeps soundly, though he is confused about who is supposed to be wrapped around whose little finger:

Smile!

Look, he's smiling, and it's not gas-related!



(Shortly after this picture was taken, Caleb placed his right thumb and forefinger in front of his face in the shape of an "L", apparently telling Mommy and Daddy that we are losers for grinning like idiots and saying "Smile!" over and over.)

The Daily Caleb: 5/17/08

In which Caleb, on a blustery spring day, helps his Mother in the garden:

The Daily Caleb: 5/16/08

In which Caleb has sneezed just as his Dad has taken the picture:



A fitting depiction of life at our house for the past few days.

The Daily Caleb: 5/15/08

In which Caleb dreams of sunning himself on a nice, sandy beach:

The Daily Caleb: 5/14/08

In which Caleb and his Dad have spent most of the day sick in bed:

The Daily Caleb: 5/13/08

In which Caleb sleeps and wonders why his nose is so stuffy:

The Daily Caleb: 5/12/08

In which his Godfather makes Caleb an offer he can't refuse:

Older Cousin Duties

A few months ago Grandpa was explaining the duties of an older cousin to Caleb's cousin Logan. He told Logan it was his job to show Caleb the ropes.

So here you go, Logan showing Caleb the ropes:

The Daily Caleb: 5/11/08

In which Caleb and his Mom snuggle for Mother's Day:

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. Honestly, the past few years, I hadn't thought much about it, my own mother having passed away.

This year, though, it is right at the forefront, every day a reminder of why I must think of Mother's Day again. Of course, that reminder is Caleb; crying out (literally?) that the woman who is my wife is now also his mother.

Seeing her adjust to her new role has been a somewhat humbling experience. (Yes, I've had to adjust as well, but it hasn't consumed my entire existence twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, especially with my return to work a couple of weeks ago.) She has been incredible; functioning on very little sleep, answering his every midnight cry, and exempting me from those nighttime duties since I've returned to work.

She would probably say that we've worked as a team, and we have, but when it comes to Caleb, she is the team captain and MVP.

On Friday, I said we were thankful for the blessing of Caleb, and we surely are. Today, we take time to express our thanks for the blessings of our own mothers, for their love, their sacrifice, and their role in making us who we are.

Today especially I am thankful to God for the blessing of Caleb's Mom, the true love of my life.

Happy Mother's Day, Caleb's Mom.

I love you - forever and ever.

The Daily Caleb: 5/10/08

In which Caleb attends his first wedding; here he is with the bride and groom:




A great time was had by all, as is shown by the fact that I am posting The Daily Caleb for May 10th at 8 a.m. on the 11th.

Seriously, it really was a great time and the reception was loads of fun. Our congratulations and best wishes to Patrick and Martine on their new life together.

Caleb's One Month Update

Can you believe it? It's been a whole month since Caleb was born! Hmmm . . . we've kept him alive for a whole month . . . I think that means we can get a plant or a dog now.

Anyway, he had his checkup with the doctor today and he now weighs 8 lbs 11 oz. Wow, they grow up so fast don't they? I mean, it seems like just a few weeks ago he only weighed about 7 lbs.

His head circumference is 14-1/2 inches and he is now 20-3/4 inches long. He is in the 50th percentile for his head circumference and weight and the 25th percentile for his length.

Oh well, he is above average in other ways . . . like how cute he is! Also in how much he is loved!

We thank God for our little blessing, and his growth in stature and in our hearts.

The Daily Caleb: 5/9/08

In which Caleb rides the Metro train for the first time:



(I apologize for the poor picture, it was taken with the camera on my cell phone. We were taking the Metro into downtown DC to have dinner with Caleb's Grandpa, Grandma, aunt, uncle and cousins. We ate at the Brazilian steakhouse. It is called Fogo de Chao . . . check their website for a location near you . . . especially if you live in or near Addison, Texas. It is expensive, but definitely worth it for a special occasion.)

The Daily Caleb: 5/8/08

In which Caleb meets his cousins for the first time:

The Daily Caleb: 5/7/08

In which Caleb relaxes on the couch with his friend the hand:

Grandpa and Caleb's hair

In the comments for yesterday's Daily Caleb post, his Grandpa asked why Caleb's hair wasn't combed for the picture. The short answer is that since he was sleeping, we decided to leave him alone. However, there is a story behind Grandpa's question.

While Grandpa was here just after Caleb was born, he would comb Caleb's hair whenever he was holding him. I struggled to understand Grandpa's obsession with Caleb's hair. And then I figured it out; Grandpa was trying to mold Caleb in his own image.

Behold, a pair of combovers:

I think he's tired of his canned food. . .

Too bad he's lactose intolerant.

The Belly: Before & After

Some of you, during the pregnancy, asked us for a "belly picture". We never did send one out. So for all of you who feel slighted, here is a picture, taken three days before Caleb was born:




And here she is today, just thirty days later:



Wowza! Daddy likes.

The Daily Caleb: 5/6/08

In which Caleb has indeed had some milk, and a nap:

The Daily Caleb: 5/5/08

In which Caleb is temporarily fascinated by his Dad's camera:

The Daily Caleb: 5/4/08

In which Caleb has had a bath and contemplates pooping in his bath towel:

The Daily Caleb: 5/3/08

In which Caleb gets all dressed up to go to Miss Meghan's bridal shower:



(Dad's advice to Caleb for dealing with all the attention he's sure to get at a bridal shower: feign sleep.)

The Daily Caleb: 5/2/08

In which Caleb almost gets a kiss from his "big brother", Buddy:

The Daily Caleb: 5/1/08

In which Caleb appears to be calm after his diaper is changed: