Bubble time

We were in Omaha over Memorial Day weekend and Cael (as usual) was spoiled with presents and clothes from his family. Grandma and Grandpa bought him some bubbles and he had a great time on the deck with Aunt Stefani while she blew bubbles and he tried to catch and eat them. He also learned how to blow bubbles on his own thanks to coaching from Stefani! Stefani lives in Texas and he hasn't seen her in a little over a year. It was a fun reunion and one too long in the making!!! Luckily he won't go that long before he sees her again with trips back to Omaha planned for October and December.

Update - 18 months

Cael had his 18 month appointment yesterday (5/20/09) and I wanted to update everyone on his latest stats and progress:

Weight: 29 lbs 15.8 oz (27 lbs 6 oz at 15 months)
Height: 34 1/4 inches (33.5 inches at 15 months)
Head Circumference: 49 cm (48.5 cm at 15 months)

He is in the 93rd percentile for height, 90th percentile for weight and the 80th percentile for head circumference. The doctor seemed happy with where Cael was in terms of growth and progress. His ears look great (yay, the tubes seem to be doing their job) and he is healthy. We are definitely entering the terrible two's territory and dealing with a lot of crying and tantrums. They did say that his canine's are coming in, which may contribute a bit to his temperment, but either way, we are dealing with things as best we can and still loving every (or almost every) minute!

Our new babysitter

As previously mentioned, Cael loves, LOVES his Curious George DVD's and up until lately has only watched them in the car. However, last week I needed to unload a bunch of groceries and decided to bring the DVD's into the house in an attempt to keep him entertained while I put everything away. It worked like a charm and I had to laugh at his facial expressions (COMPLETELY zoned out) and the various places he would sit to watch the movies. I am trying not to go overboard with Curious George, but right now the little monkey is proving to be a WONDERFUL babysitter!! Thank you to the creators of Curious George!!

Afternoon at the park

Sunday afternoon after Cael woke up from his nap, I decided to take him up to the park and let him run around. Ryan had gone over to a friends to help with some roof work so it was just the two of us. I loaded our supplies into his trusty wagon and we were off! It is much more fun at the park now that Cael is able to walk and climb on his own (instead of one of us having to carry him) and now that the weather is starting to warm up. We played on the slide (with pregnant Mommy chasing Cael all over the place until she learned it was easier to just stay on the ground and make sure he didn't fall), the teeter totter, the swings and on the stairs. He had fun on the teeter totter sitting next to a couple of older boys and trying to mimic their antics. I think even their father got a little nervous when Cael abruptly let go of the handle and put both hands in the air.We both had a blast!! I just wish the weather would have stayed warmer, but once the clouds started turning a deep purple I thought it best to head home. Cael sustained no injuries while at the park, but on the way home stood up in the wagon (it's a no no), fell forward and hit his mouth on a container of water. He bled (first time he has actually bled from an 'oops'), which spooked both of us a little, but we survived and made it home with no further issues (other than a sore mouth for the little boy).

Cael and his family!

We flew to Omaha this past weekend for a short trip. We squeezed a lot of time with family into those two days and as always Cael had a blast playing with Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Erica, Uncle Tim, Aunt Kyli, Uncle Chris and his cousins (Nolan, Makenzi and Veronica). I did not do as great of a job taking pictures as I would have liked, but I wanted to share the pictures that I did manage to take.

Playing 'catch' with cousin Veronica

After running around with cousins Nolan and Makenzi in their new house!

Being his cute little self!

Playing with Nana and cousin Veronica

Eating breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa

Handsome little boy

I was going through the pictures on my camera, when I came upon a couple that I took this morning and two things hit me all at once; how much (and quickly) he has grown up and how HANDSOME he is becoming (I have always considered Cael to be a pretty baby - biased or not, but his features are starting to turn into those of a boy). He is no longer my baby, but a little boy with his own opinions and thoughts who still needs me (us), but is well on his way to learning about life and all the things, both good and bad, that go along with it. Next thing I know I will be posting about his first day of kindergarten, high school and then about college, his first job, marriage, kids....... (I am getting a head of myself). It is truly scary how quickly the time flies. I just love him so much and on one hand I am thrilled at the milestones that are just around the corner, but also petrified that it will all happen much too fast for my liking and that there is nothing I can do to stop it.

Belly pics - 19w4d

Looking back on my first pregnancy, I wish I would have been better at taking pictures of my expanding waist line. So this time, I have vowed to do a better job of keeping track of the changes that occur. Hey, in my opinion, it is the only time that people comment on how cute you look when you really just feel very very fat :) Yes, I know I am pregnant, but that doesn't change the fact that the scale numbers are going up instead of down, which let's face it, goes against nature!

Sweet big brother

I have purchased a couple of things off of Ebay for the baby's room and they arrived at the house yesterday. I took them out of their packaging and laid them across a chair in our family room so I could show them to Ryan and so I could admire everything. We were getting ready to eat dinner and as Ryan and I were preparing some last minute items, Cael walked over to the chair and pulled off the changing pad cover, which is made out of a very very soft material. I figured he was curious and tried to explain to him that it was for his baby sister. He dropped it on the floor and then proceeded to lay down on top of it. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. Even though he has no idea that he is going to be a big brother or what that means, it was still very sweet to watch.

Our little helper

I was watching TV when Cael grabbed something off of the coffee table and walked away with it. Out of curiosity, I sat up on the couch to see what he had grabbed and where he was going with his new treasure. I discovered that he had grabbed a crumpled up piece of paper off the table (nothing new there), but imagine my surprise when he walked over to the pantry, opened the door and threw the piece of paper AWAY!! I was astonished and immediately commended him on a job well done!!! Now when he is fussy or wants one of us to hold him, we ask him to help us clean up and give him small things that he can throw away. Granted, the other day, he threw away the top to our coffee thermos and has been known to throw his toys in there as well, but we are working with him on that.He loves helping Mommy and Daddy and is a real asset when it comes time to go grocery shopping (he loves putting stuff in the cart that Mommy and Daddy give him) and to putting our groceries away (pictures coming soon).

He also loves to sweep and it is ADORABLE when he walks around the house with our broom helping us clean up after a meal. I want to buy him a small broom that is easier for him to handle if I can find one! Last night he was getting fussy so Ryan gave him the broom and he was happy as can be to help Dad pick up after dinner (SO FREAKING CUTE)!!!!!! And yes, for those of you who are wondering, we intend to take full advantage of his willingness to do small chores!!