February 10

I've noticed that I sometimes get on a kick with my photos and have a hard time dropping the theme. Really, I guess it's more that Caleb is a baby, and like all babies he focuses on certain things. I just end up with lots of the same pictures.

There were the tongue-sticking-out pictures.

The bouncer pictures.

The eating pictures.

And now we are in the Laundry phase.

Also, Caleb's cheeks were unusually rosy today.

They were pretty cute.

February 9

It's hard to believe Caleb is 7 months old already!

Aside from all of the snow on the ground, it seems like a few weeks ago that this was us:

But now he looks like this:

At 7 months, he weighs about 17 lbs, 11 oz.

He's settled into 2 naps a day, each about 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

He goes to bed at 7 pm and usually wakes up around 6 am.

He's finally getting the hang of "real" food, and seems to enjoy peaches and acorn squash the most.

He still loves Mommy's milk!

He is a cheerful, mellow baby who likes to laugh and give "kisses" (open-mouthed slobber sessions).

He's a proficient roller and will roll across a room until an obstacle stops him.

He says "mamamamama" and "dadadadadada".

He's trying to figure out how to creep. Crawling is still beyond him.

He has captured our hearts.

If you're curious about how things went 7 months ago today, feel free to read our birth story.

It's kind of long, but it was hard to edit out details about such an important event!

February 8

Caleb is now my official laundry helper. I mean, isn't that why I had a baby in the first place? I can't wait until he's tall enough to actually do the laundry, instead of just helping fold it. Maybe I'll get him a step stool.

He's only willing to help because he loves the mesh bag that goes in his hamper, though.

I thought it would be a fun game to put the bag over his head. (Don't call Child Protective Services yet - it's mesh!)

He loved it, of course.

He then spent the next fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to put the bag over his head on his own.

It was pretty cute to watch.

And finally, success!

I wish you could have seen the proud grin on his face!

February 7

Caleb got to meet his Great-Grandmother Rife for the first time today!  She and Chris' Aunt Mary came to town from Kansas City for a meeting, and we were able to spend a little time with them before the Super Bowl.

She holds such a special place in our hearts. We were so glad that Caleb was finally able to meet her.

Isn't she lovely?

Chris was so happy.

February 6

I'm sorry. Today was a busy day for me, so no phenomenal photos today.

(Really, no phenomenal photos MOST days, but at least I have an excuse today!)

I worked my once-every-six-weeks job supervising the ACT, and then ran 5 miles with a friend. For me, that constitutes a busy day!

Caleb and Chris played all day.

See?

And I may talk big about being super-busy, but I snuck in some time with the little man, too.

It was nice of Caleb to not complain about how bad I smelled after my run! I think he was too distracted by Mr. Brown and all of the wonderful sounds he can do.

February 5

Today, Caleb helped me fold laundry.

(I had just folded that towel)

(I actually folded everything; he didn't really help. But he thinks he did.)

He was so proud of himself!

February 4

Something about this photo just makes my heart happy.

These boys are my two favorite people in the world, and I love how happy they are here.

I'm glad joy transcends out-of-focus photos...

February 3

This is a face we see quite a bit.

As you look at it, please say to yourself, "Da da da da da...."

With Caleb, anything exciting requires drool. Apparently, learning to say "da da da" is quite exciting.

I also love that you can see his little gums in this photo. Despite the drool, despite his incessant gnawing, and despite what all of the little old ladies at church say, this kid is NOT teething.

Will he ever get teeth, or will he be 32 and toothless? Only time will tell.

February 2

In honor of Groundhog's Day, I present my little wiggleworm:

And then he sat still.

Caleb and I have been working hard to wear butt-prints into the seat of this chair. It seems like he's eating every 5 minutes lately! He must need lots of energy to fuel all of this wiggling!

February 1

Happy February!

Caleb celebrated the beginning of the month with some naked time.

Nothing like some good old-fashioned nudity to make this kid smile.

Actually, he's smiling because he's about to roll over. It's not the clearest picture, but I love the look on his face. Lately, he starts a roll not with his body, but with his head. He turns his head sharply to the side, and the rest of his body follows suit.

Usually.

It's always entertaining to watch.