Such a little ham!

There is really no rhyme or reason for this post other than to add some cute pictures of Cael and to share some stories. He is just such a little ham and so funny (fuNNy)! First of all, he has the most infectious laugh and Ryan can really get him going by tickling his stomach or making funny faces. He is at the stage right now where he wants to EXPLORE everything. He grabs for paper, bags, drinks, cans, my hair.... EVERYTHING and it is both cute and annoying (only when trying to accomplish something and he is making it difficult - although usually I try to just stop and enjoy the moment because it won't last long). The other day, Cynthia (caregiver at daycare) was telling me that she would put a Velcro bib on Cael only to have him pull it off. He would then proceed to laugh at her when she put it back on. She repeated attempts to put a bib on him several times before giving up. To Cael, it was just a fun game!!!I love when I go pick him up from daycare and he just looks at my face and laughs like it is the funniest thing he has ever seen (makes me re-check my appearance in the nearest mirror, but other than that....)

We have also decided it might be time to start giving him his baths in the upstairs bathtub as opposed to the sink in the laundry room because he has discovered SPLASHING and he splashes with such enthusiasm that we are beginning to worry about the drywall!!

Another of my favorite things is when he wakes up in the morning and just talks and talks and talks (except for maybe on the weekends when he starts 'talking' at like 6:30 in the morning)! Then when you go into the room and he sees you he starts kicking his feet and babbling faster and faster because he is just so darn excited that finally someone came into get him so he can play!

Cael and Daddy

I normally pick Cael up from daycare in the evenings because Ryan's job is further than mine and it would be a long trip in the car. Usually the first thing Ryan does when he gets home from work (after he gives me a kiss, of course) is to talk/play/interact with Cael. Well, we don't know if Cael is teething, has a cold/ear infection or what, but he has been a bit fussy (out of character for our happy baby) the last few days. Anyway, he was crying so Ryan got down on the floor to play with him and I got some of the CUTEST pictures!!!I just knew I had to share them with everyone! Enjoy!

Feeling nostalgic

I was reading through the other posts (and looking at pictures of Cael when he was first born) and feeling nostalgic.He has grown up so fast, I can't even believe it. On one hand it makes me sad that he won't get to see his family on a more regular basis, but on the other hand I hope we can give him a wonderful life here in Denver and make visits to Omaha, Dallas, TX, Phoenix, AZ and Park City, UT just that much more special. It seems like yesterday we brought him home to the apartment and he was so tiny and I was so scared wondering what the heck we had gotten ourselves into. It is so true that each day gets better and I am really looking forward to the next milestones (will probably eat my words once he starts crawling, walking and talking)! I am literally kicking myself that I didn't start this sooner and wracking my brain for any 'milestones' that I can add so I will remember them later down the road. Hmmm, topic for another post perhaps!

Paying homage to the 'ball'

Since Cael can now sit up on his own, we have started laying out a blanket in the family room (both to catch spit up and to protect him in case he falls over and goes 'bonk') and surrounding him with toys. When I got home tonight it was no different. I set him down on the blanket and gave him a toy (tiger basketball) to play with that involves taking balls and putting them into a 'hoop' and having them appear at the bottom (to repeat all over again). It was the funniest thing because he would pick up a ball and pass it back and forth between his hands and then hold it up in the air, look up at it and start chanting (or singing). It was like he was paying homage to the ball. I was seriously laughing so hard I was crying. Not to mention that I think Ryan and I both almost fell over when he actually picked up the concept of grabbing the ball and putting it into the 'hoop'. It is just so amazing what they are capable of understanding at such a young age. LOL. Granted, HE almost fell over when Ryan and I started whooping and hollering after he made his first shot. He was so stunned, but honestly with our reaction you would have thought he had just won an NBA championship!!!

Background

I thought I would give a little background on Cael just to get things started. He is almost 7 and a half months old and at his six month appointment (May 19th), he was 28 inches long and weighed 20 lbs. I am guesstimating that he is now closer to 22 lbs. We moved him into a different carseat as he had outgrown his infant carrier (something that is not anticipated to happen until closer to 12 months). He is a big baby and we have people comment on his size on a regular basis (funny to us). Cael started sitting up on his own around six and a half months. He currently has his two bottom teeth (although it doesn't seem to me that they are done) and given the amount of drooling, appears to be working on a few more. He talks all the time (DEFINITELY mommy and daddy's baby boy) and is honestly the best baby you could ask for. He sleeps through the night for the most part and has the sweetest disposition (where did THAT come from since both Ryan and I are a little high strung). I don't want to go into too much detail because I may (okay, who are we kidding, I will) get too bogged down in the detail of it all, but suffice it to say I wish I would have done this sooner!

Baby Book

This all started because I was looking through my baby book and up until that point had thought 'why would we keep a baby book for Cael, I haven't even seen mine so obviously it isn't that important'. I started looking through my own baby book and it was so fun to read about (and see) myself as a baby (I learned that Cael weighed the same as I did when he was born). I got to thinking and decided that it would be even better to start a blog about Cael that I will do my best to update on a daily basis since all of his family lives out of state. So here is the first blog for Cael!! I truly hope it means that everyone gets an insight to his personality and his growth. He is just so much fun and I can't wait for the adventure and discovery that each new day will bring. Enjoy!!!