March 31

I tried.

I tried and tried and tried and tried to get Caleb to put down the soccer ball and pick up a baseball for these pictures.

Obviously, it didn't work.

Obviously, he's more excited about that soccer ball than he is about getting a great Opening Day shot.

But he's still pretty excited about Opening Day.

This was the look on his face when I told him that we're going to go to Busch Stadium on Saturday to see Fredbird and Albert Pujols.

I guess that was kind of cruel of me, since the poor kid still doesn't understand the concept of time. He was pretty sad that we couldn't see Fredbird right away.

He's a big fan.



March 30

Did you know that Caleb likes sports?

Because he does.

He really, really does.

Of course, he has to put his own unique spin on the sports he loves...

Soccer...

with the ball in a scooper.

Football...

with the ball in a scooper.

We've also covered baseball, tennis, and basketball...

with the ball in a scooper.

Apparently a little sand scoop makes everything better. Who knew?

March 29

Today was a stay-at-home-in-our-pajamas kind of day. It was pretty nice.

Highlights of the day?

Lots of books. We read Fix-it Duck  at least 5 times, and Hit the Ball, Duck  close to 10 times. We also read 9 chapters in Caleb's Storybook Bible. The kid loves him some Baby Jesus!

Caleb also re-discovered his baby dolls. As I type this, he is sleeping happily in his crib with a baby doll on either side of him. Chris reported that this was per Caleb's request - when he laid Caleb down to sleep, he said, "Sungle baby!"

And we "painted" again, this time with my homemade yogurt.

If it's a brush, it goes in my hair. Right?

I didn't expect him to eat plain, unsweetened yogurt so happily! Last time we used vanilla pudding, but I feel much better about the yogurt.

Contemplating his options - should he use the spoon or the brush?

He's a serious artist. This was his second installment of yogurt. After he painted with/ate his first batch, he urgently said, "Mo pease! Mo pease!"

Yum. I particularly liked the yogurt colors' refusal to blend; instead, they created a really cool tie-dyed effect. Fun!

If you're interested, you can find the recipe for the homemade yogurt here. It took a long time, but since it was in my crock pot, it was really easy. And clearly, it's delicious!



March 28

I now have in my possession a birth kit and birthing pool. We're really doing this homebirth thing! I'm really excited, and I feel confident that it's the right decision for us at this time, with this pregnancy. However, this is probably the most unconventional endeavor I've ever attempted, and I can be a pretty unconventional girl. It's a bit nerve-wracking to deviate from the norm, so I'm really praying things go well.

Baby looks great - its head is firmly engaged in my pelvis, its heart rate is good, and my midwife thinks it weighs about 5 pounds right now, which puts us on track for a 7-pound baby. Caleb was exactly 7 pounds, and this one feels about the same or a little smaller. Meanwhile, I've gained 26 pounds, my feet are no longer swollen, and Chris brought home roses today. Things are looking good!

After our midwife left, Caleb and I had an impromptou photo shoot.This was a real victory for me, because I took just 10 photos and stopped, knowing I had what I wanted. I think I might be on my way to being decent at this! Judge for yourself:

Oh. And all of these photos? Taken while my subject was dressed like this:

Perhaps I've found a new secret to great photography?

March 27

Oy - Blogger made posting this a nightmare! Dear Blogger: sometimes I hate you. Heart, Carrie.

Sometimes the best days are the days when we hang out around the house and do nothing. Today was a day like that.

Chris was really good about making sure I had plenty of time to lounge on the couch and rest. (It's becoming more and more of a necessity these days!)

Of course, any time I tell Caleb, "Mommy needs to rest", he interprets it as, "Mommy needs Caleb to climb up on the couch and snuggle." I'm not complaining, but it's pretty funny.

Not the best photo, but it's Caleb "listening" to Baby. This is how every couch snuggle session ends.

Caleb says, "Open!" and I uncover my belly.

He presses his ear to my belly and says, "Listen!"

I ask him what he hears, and he says, "Heartbeat."

Lately, he's added a new twist - he says, "Listen! Jessica!" Jessica is our midwife; Caleb was there during our last appointment two weeks ago. Apparently it made a big impression on him when Jessica got out the Doppler to listen to Baby's heartbeat. So now it's, "Listen! Jessica!"

I'll ask him, "Does Jessica help us listen to the Baby?"

He responds, "Mmmm. Yes. Button on." He remembers that she let him push the button to turn on the Doppler.

I say, "That's right! You got to press the button to turn it on! What do we hear when we turn it on?"

His response used to be, "Boom boom." But more recently it's been, "kssh kssh kssh", which is actually what Baby's heartbeat sounds like.

It's so funny that he remembers our last visit so clearly. I'm excited to see how he responds to our appointment tomorrow!

Remember how a week or two ago, Caleb fell asleep on me? It looked like this. He didn't fall asleep this time, but we had a good long snuggle.

Did I mention that Caleb is obsessed with the Duck books by Jez Alborough? So far we've only read Duck in the Truck (which I ordered for his Easter basket) and Fix-It Duck, but Chris, Caleb and I are all big fans. I have Hit the Ball, Duck on reserve at the library, and I have high hopes.

Then the boys played with the laundry bag. This photo reminds me of 

this

(Caleb with the laundry bag, March 2010)

and this 

(Our wedding, August 2002)

What a good day!



March 25

In case you haven't noticed the little ticker on the right side of this page, NewBaby is due in exactly one month! Now, Caleb's week-late arrival stripped me of any delusions of the "due date" meaning anything at all, but I have a feeling this one will come closer to her due date. (And yes, I think it's a "her". Mostly because we can't come up with a perfect boy name. We really like Noel for a boy, except for the fact that the majority of the world would mispronounce it as the Christmas form of "noel", instead of the boy-name form of Noel, and I just don't want to do that to my child. So there's that.)

I'm definitely ready for this baby to come, though.

Let me rephrase that. My mind and heart are ready for this baby to come. My body is ready for this baby to come. My house? Not ready for this baby to come. So I suppose one more month is a good compromise. :)

Remember my grocery-shopping exploits of yesterday?

We also picked up an Ugli fruit in the produce section. What fun!

He tried really hard to get it open, but it just didn't work!

Nope - not the best way to eat it!

After I peeled it and was surprised at how much skin there was and how little flesh, I fed him a few pieces. He really liked it! It was so cute to hear Caleb say, "Uggi fwuit! Mo uggi fwuit!"

Also, I need to tell you about the story Caleb woke up telling this morning.

He woke up at 7, and I went in to get him. When I picked him up, he buried himself in my shoulder and we snuggled for 10 or 15 minutes. Then he sat bolt upright, and said this:

"Yellow bird. Hawk.

Fly away, hawk!

Far away.

Anything, hawk?

Nope.

See hawk?

Nope.

Anything?

Hawk? Look! Hawk? See hawk?

Long time hawk."

It's so funny to hear what's running through his little brain!

March 24

I'm not sure why I didn't take any pictures yesterday; I think it was because it was so windy. (Because wind prevents me from taking pictures, you know.) And today was a gray, gloomy day and I almost didn't take any pictures again.

But then.

Caleb and I went grocery shopping. He is such a good shopper - I really am blessed. But for some reason, today he was really fussy at the grocery store. He whined. A lot. After we had made our purchases and I was bagging our groceries, I handed him a bunch of bananas to keep him entertained. When he started gnawing on the bananas, I took away all but one so that he didn't ruin the whole bunch. Then he started chewing on the one banana he had left, and it dawned on me:

The kid was hungry.

Oops. So I opened the banana partway, and he sat happily in the cart, eating his banana, while I finished bagging the groceries. By the time we got out to the car and the groceries were loaded, his banana was gone! I congratulated myself on meeting my child's needs, and being such a good momma.

We made a quick stop at Target, where he got whiny in the checkout lane. And then for some reason, he fussed the whole way home. When we got home, I left him to his own devices while I at least put away the cold stuff. Fussy kid or no, the cold stuff must be put away. Since I'm lazy, I just leave the refrigerator door open while I put away groceries. I mean, really, isn't it just too much work to open and close that door a million times?

I was loading up with an armful of stuff when I turned around and saw this:

Actually, I turned around and saw Caleb reaching for the container of strawberries, which was right next to that jug of milk. He was trying desperately to open it while it remained on the shelf. I turned around to get the camera, and by the time I had it ready to go, Caleb had pulled the strawberries off the shelf. In the fall, the lid popped open, and before I could stop him...

"Yeah, I've got a filthy, unwashed strawberry. What are you gonna do about it?"

He ate the whole thing, stem and all.

I guess that banana didn't solve his hunger issues, after all!

Luckily, it was nearly dinner time.  Caleb went on to eat another strawberry, a kiwi, a graham cracker, some shrimp, risotto, red bell pepper, half a bagel with cream cheese, and milk. You'd think I never feed the kid! Or maybe he's turning into the very hungry caterpillar...



March 22

You're probably getting tired of the garden posts, but it's all we have right now. :)

Today was actually a really fun day. Caleb and I went to Bread Company and shared a pumpkin muffin, then went to Lowes and bought lettuce, spinach, strawberries, and some flowers. There might have been some "tractor" riding in there, too.

We went home and promptly planted all of our veggies, and Caleb was such a good helper! Now we're working on the fact that he can only dig or rake the brown parts of the garden, not the green. A few of our tiny little spinach plants were subjected to Caleb's vigorous "digging", and I'm hoping they survive!

Caleb showing off his handiwork. He really liked "helping" me water the seedlings with the watering can.

"Hooray!"

I know he looks serious, but don't those big brown eyes get you every time?

 

See comment above.



I really don't know what we'll do if the weather turns seasonable, instead of this unseasonably pleasant stuff. Something tells me there's no going back - we'll be outside, even if it's 40 degrees!

March 21

Today marks 5 weeks until NewBaby's projected arrival! Baby is due the day after Easter, but I think it would be kind of cool to have an Easter baby. Plus, I have a feeling this one will be on time or early. I have no real basis for that idea; it's just a hunch. I guess we'll see!

Caleb and I enjoyed another beautiful day today. It was so lovely out that we were able to play on the patio after breakfast!

Caleb was eager to help me get started with my gardening, but I've yet to plant anything in the garden proper. Also, isn't the bench he's resting on awesome? This direction, it's a padded kneeler with handles to hoist yourself up and down. Or, it flips over to become a padded bench for taller gardening tasks. Chris' mom gave it to me for Christmas, and I am officially in love with it. I'm pretty sure it's the only reason I'm even considering planting things at this point in my pregnancy. Caleb is also particularly fond of it!

Later, Caleb demonstrated his new fixation - block stacking.

He's pretty good! We only have six of these blocks, but he can stack them all fairly consistently. I don't have photographic evidence, but right before this he stacked all six, then balanced a badminton birdie on the very top. He gets such a pleased look on his face when the stack is finished, and is clearly proud of his work. What a sweetheart!

March 20

Happy Spring!

We definitely noticed today was the first day of spring - it was 81 degrees and sunny. In fact, everything about today was perfect. Before church, Caleb happily entertained himself while I made blueberry oatmeal pancakes.

(He just discovered Chris' financial calculator. He loves it. He even says "kacky-yater". And yes, he is standing on a badminton racquet. I have no explanation.)

Chris was due for a 9-mile run, so Caleb and I played at the park while Chris ran on the surrounding trails. My mom and Ryan joined us, which made the outing even more fun.

Ryan  is so good with Caleb, and it was nice to have an extra set of hands near the water! (I'm not quite as nimble as I was a few months ago...)

Caleb got so many compliments on his Cards cap and his Converse, but I thought his new striped shirt was particularly handsome.

 We brought some bread and bought some pellets to feed the fish, but they weren't particularly interested. Perhaps they were still hibernating? Ryan and I tried to show Caleb where a lone fish popped up, but he wasn't interested.

He was happy just to throw things into the water. Boys - they're so easily entertained!

After Chris' run, we went home, where Caleb was able to let it all hang out. 

I love this.

While dinner baked, we all went out on the patio and played some more. Caleb demonstrated his mad digging skills; I have to say, I'm pretty impressed!

The funny thing? While we were eating dinner (with the windows and patio door open, and a lovely breeze blowing through the house), all Caleb wanted to do was go BACK outside. What a silly boy. But I guess that means we're doing something right!



March 19

I would just like to say that we dominated this Saturday. It was pretty fantastic. What was so great? 

1. I discovered that Caleb likes biscuits and gravy. I'd like to think that's a sign that I'm raising him right, except that it's not exactly health food.

2. We took an early-morning trip to Home Depot: productive for us, fun for Caleb. Except when we didn't let him ride the "tractors". Or when he wanted to climb the ceiling-high, industrial shelving and we wouldn't let him. Chris and I are so mean.

3. Chris worked our compost and some yummy organic matter into my garden today. It is now ready to plant. I'm about to try my hand at some cold-season veggies like lettuce and spinach. I also prepared to plant my first raspberry cane. Wish me luck!

4. I accomplished some serious grocery shopping during Caleb's nap.

5.Caleb and I planted seeds for what will hopefully become our Easter celebration centerpieces.

Half of the pots have wildflower seeds, and half have cat grass. (It will look fun and make Lily happy. Win-win, as long as Lily doesn't get to it before our celebration!)

It made me absurdly happy that Caleb was excited to plant seeds with me. We had so much fun, and he was such a good helper! His careful, cautious personality is really helpful when it comes to planting seeds. 

 

"Pat. Pat. Pat."

6. Chris put down new mulch, so our landscaping looks lovely! 

Caleb was pumped to watch Daddy spread the mulch, and even more thrilled when I opened the window so he could talk to Daddy and give him a high five.

And that was all before 4:00! Like I said - we dominated this Saturday, and it was fun!



March 18

I think we're all back to normal now; Chris went back to work today, and Caleb and I had a fun day together.

Caleb and I celebrated our regained health with breakfast at McDonald's this morning. (Yes, I am quite aware of the irony in that statement. Thank you.) Our local McDonald's has a large group of senior citizens who meet regularly for coffee, and several were there today. 4 or 5 of the gentlemen were wearing hats that said "World War II Veteran" on them, and Caleb was in awe. He spent most of our (long, drawn-out) breakfast smiling and waving at them until he finally got their attention. Before I realized they were veterans, I told Caleb they were great-grandpas. At any point during breakfast that he wasn't flirting with those men, he was chatting happily with me about the "Date Papas". It was really cute - I guess he takes after his grandma, who also really enjoys elderly people.

After his nap, it was time for Caleb to get to work.

I think it's about time for him to start earning his keep, don't you? Unfortunately, someone happened to give him this non-mowing model of lawnmower, and he's not quite big enough for our other one yet. Maybe next year.

Also, today was one of the first times that Caleb actually voiced an opinion about what he wanted to wear. I was getting ready to dress him, and he said, "Baseball shirt!"

Well, who can resist that?

The baseball shirt was supposed to be part of his summer wardrobe, but I made the mistake of storing his yet-to-be-worn, but washed, summer clothes in the bottom two drawers of his dresser. Caleb was playing the other day, opened the drawer, and found it. He was instantly in love, so I have to layer it so that he can wear it now.

The shirt says, "Home Run King", and the i is dotted with a baseball. In this photo, I asked Caleb what his shirt says. He put his finger on the baseball, and said, "Home run king!"

"HOME RUN KING!!!"

"Picture?"

Also, completely unrelated:

Caleb had a rough night last night, waking up about 6 times. (Yuck) During the third wake-up, I decided to change his diaper. As he laid on the changing table, he looked up at me, pointed to his eyes, and said, "Brown eyes."

Seriously? Seriously.

And did I tell you that when I got him dressed yesterday, I put pants on him and he instantly said, "Khaki pants".

He was right.

I'm telling you, this child is out of control.