Christmas, Big Boy Bath, A Swing, Noodles and More

This is the first chance I've had to update my blog since way before Christmas. There's so much to tell! This is going to be a long one...

Our last day of school was December 21st. We went out to dinner that night and then came home and had our Christmas celebration together. It was so much fun to watch Caleb rip paper off of boxes! His eyes would get big every time he saw a new toy and (of course) they all went straight to his mouth. We gave him a shape sorter, a ring stacker, a set of mini playground balls, some Roll-a-Rounds (clear plastic balls with little toys inside), new spoons, new bottle nipples and some new pacifiers. He also got some building blocks from Todd, Tammy and Elle and a pop-up toy, puppet and musical book from Jerry, Sherry and Rebecca.

We left for Arkansas on the 22nd. Caleb was a great traveler again and slept most of the time. He really hates it when the sun comes in the windows and gets in his eyes, but he was a trooper anyway. We made it to the Voises in Rogers on Friday afternoon and had a great visit and dinner with them. The Voises gave Caleb a different set of Roll-A-Rounds and he loved them. Jan and Chris came in too and we all spent the night there that night. Before bed, Jan helped me give Caleb a bath. Since we didn't bring the baby tub, Caleb got to take his first big boy bath in the real bathtub! He loved splashing in the water!

On the morning of the 23rd, we loaded back up and drove to Spiro to see the Morrises. We enjoyed our time with them and then went to Jan's new house in Ft. Smith for the night. She took us out to dinner to celebrate Rudy's birthday and we did our gift exchange there that night. Jan and Chris gave Caleb some stacking blocks, some clothes and PJ's and a learning placemat.

Christmas Eve morning, we loaded the car again and hit the road for Hot Springs. We made the trip down 71 and 270 and finally made it to Hot Springs that afternoon. It was good to know we would be out of the car for a while. We went over to Pepapa and Anna Joyce's house for our annual Christmas feast of prime rib, green bean bundles and twice baked potatoes. There is always way too much food there! Caleb got another ton of Christmas gifts: a "baby grand" piano and a stuffed reindeer from Pepapa and Anna Joyce, rubber duckies from Jimmy and Kim, a winter hat from Julie and Chris, a long-sleeved bib from Becca and Jimmy (and Maddox) and a book and LeapPad from Harolyn and Brad.

We stayed in Hot Springs from December 24th until December 28th. Christmas Day was very low-key. We stayed in and relaxed all day long. Mom and Mr. L gave Caleb a bunch of clothes, Green Eggs and Ham with a Sam doll, a Curious George and some other toys. He also got a pop-up toy from Joyce and Bob. He ended up with more stuff than he could even play with! He is such a lucky and blessed little boy!

Rudy and Mr. L. went to deer camp on the 26th and 27th and Mom and I spent those days shopping and visiting family. It was very relaxing. Caleb was such a good little boy the whole time. He really travels well - aren't we blessed?

We left on the 28th and went to Little Rock. We had dinner at Chad and Ronni Fellers' house with them and with Chris and Starr Wilson. It was the first time we had all gotten our kids together. It was good to see everyone and to meet the Wilson's kiddos.

We left Little Rock on the 29th and finally got to sleep in our own beds that night. We had a great trip, but as always, it was good to be home. It took us a couple of days to get unpacked and get everything back in order, but we did it. We had some friends over to celebrate New Year's Eve and then watched the Hogs play in the Capital One Bowl on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, they didn't win - but at least we were back in a bowl. It was a great season. It was just unfortunate that it ended the way it did.

We had to be back at work on the 2nd. It was NOT fun to leave Caleb that morning, even though I knew he would be fine at Carrie's. He did much better at it than either Rudy or I did. Carrie was sick on Wednesday, so Rudy and I split a sick day to stay home and take care of Caleb. He was able to go back on Thursday and Friday, so we finished the week as planned.

Rudy has had All-Suburban band this weekend, so Caleb and I have had some fun time together - just the two of us. Last night, I took him to the mall just to get out and move around. I had a couple of things to take back to some stores, and that was a good excuse to get out of the house. Today, I took Caleb to the playground at Bluebird Park. He loved the baby swing! It was his first experience with a swing and I think it will definitely be the first of many. He also liked watching the other "big" kids playing around him.

Tonight, we went to dinner at the Pasta House. For the second time in a couple of weeks, someone actually came up to me and told me that we should think about getting him in commercials or modeling. As flattered as I was, I don't think we'll be taking that route. Carrie told me yesterday that she thought Caleb was about ready to try some finger foods and I had been thinking it was about time for that too. (We've been giving him little tastes of things, but nothing that needs any chewing.) I decided that we'd try something different, so I asked the waitress for some pasta with no sauce. We gave Caleb a couple of small pieces and he entertained himself throughout our whole meal by eating and playing with the pasta. He loved it! I told Rudy that it looks like we're going to have to start keeping some cooked pasta in the fridge for a while. Oh, what a mess he will make!

Caleb hasn't hit any new major developmental milestones recently. I keep thinking he's going to take off crawling any day now, but he just can't seem to get his knees up under him in order to go forward. He "swims" around on the floor on his belly and uses his hands to "steer." Sometimes he pushes himself backwards, but we aren't sure if this is actually on purpose. He can get around in a small area to get to reach different toys, but I certainly wouldn't call it crawling. He's not really even "combat" crawling - it's truly more of a swimming motion.

In the past couple of weeks, our little man has gotten very snuggly. Sometimes when I'm holding him, he almost throws himself against me like he's giving me a hug. Tonight, after I gave him a kiss, he came at my face with his little mouth like he was kissing me back. Who knows if he means to be affectionate, but it's pretty sweet anyway. I'm his Mama and if I want to tell myself that he is showing me love, then that's exactly what I'll do!

Caleb continues to babble just like he has for quite a while. He mostly says da-da-da and I keep trying to tell him that he needs to say ma-ma-ma, but he won't listen. :) He sometimes mixes things up with a /g/ or even an /f/ here and there. He has started to change up his vowels too. Tonight, when I was putting him in his carseat, he said "doo dah" and I thought that was pretty funny. He has really started to use more inflection and sometimes sounds like he's trying to carry on a conversation. It's cute when he "talks" to us and even cuter when he "talks" to his stuffed animals or to Dewey.

This coming week is a busy one for us. Rudy has lots of band activities and Tuesday night is our visit from our Parent Educator, Amy. Next weekend is Caleb's baptism and we have lots of family coming to town for that. Jan and Chris will be here on Friday night and my parents are coming on Saturday night. The Hatches and the Voises may be coming too, but we aren't sure yet. It will definitely be a busy weekend, but it will be joyous and memorable!