Hey Baby What's Your Sign?

Pre Caleb mommy was totally captivated by this story she saw on TV of a 17 month old girl who was already reading! The parents of the child (both speech pathologists) credited her amazing ability to extremely well developed visual perception and memory, but also to sign language. Of course, being the uber competitive person that mommy is, she immediately thought, "Hey, if they can do it, then I can do it," so she started buying books and reading up on the benefits of teaching children sign language. Briefly, for those who are interested, some of these benefits include; that it makes learning to talk easier, boosts self-esteem, and stimulates intellectual development. Studies show that children who sign as babies have significantly higher IQ's than children who do not sign.

Now, dream sequence to the day Caleb's was born where mommy and daddy sit hovering over him performing our newly learned signs. From day one we made sure to sign to him whenever we spoke.* At first it seemed silly, and of course he wasn't signing back, but we stuck with it and right before his first birthday Caleb picked it up...and fast. His first sign was 'milk' (obviously one we did a lot) and since then he has taken off. He communicates with us via sign language all the time. And it hasn't delayed his verbal communication as some critics of baby sign language believe. Caleb speaks ALL THE TIME, even when he's signing. He can speak; Dada, Mama, Lala, ball, duck, hot, bath, cheese, hi, bye-bye, nana (banana), uh-oh, and (our favorite) Matty - his very first friend, and his sign language vocabulary grows everyday. We can't tell you how nice it is to have him 'tell' us what he wants instead of just cry and point. Here's a little sample of what our guy is capable of:

Impressive huh? He's just a baby so his hand dexterity isn't the greatest which makes some of the signs look similar (milk and duck, pig and juice) but all in all he's picking it up quickly and we are very pleased with his progress. We will be sure to report back if the study proves true and he ends up with a higher IQ than most kids his age.**
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* One of Caleb's parents was far more disciplined in this endeavor than the other. We'll let you guess which parent dropped the ball...

** Results may be skewed however because you have to take into account the fact that he comes from two exceptionally bright parents. :)

Boo At The Zoo (And Carmelo Too)!

Happy Halloween! Although this is technically not Caleb's first Halloween, it's the first Halloween where he has actually been able to participate in the activities. This year we dressed Cae up as a baby giraffe (thanks Lolli)! We just love how his little cheeks stick out and make his face look chunky!

He's certainly grown a lot since last year...

We decided to skip the night time trick-or-treating for more family friendly fun, and went instead to the Denver Zoo for Boo at the Zoo.* We had a great time running around, looking at all the animals, and trick-or-treating at the 20 plus booths they set up all over the park.

After a couple stops at different stations Caleb got the hang of it and was trick-or-treating like a pro.

He was adorable in his little outfit! We had so many people stop us to say how cute he was, including none other than Carmelo Anthony! Well, technically it was his girlfriend, Lala, who made the comment, but Carmelo smiled in agreement. She said he looked adorable and then told Carmelo he made her want to have more kids! You can see Caleb talking to her boots in the picture below.**

Caleb was a big hit in the giraffe building as he posed for pictures with his extended family. It appears he wasn't nearly as into it as the rest of us were because he looks bored out of his mind. He did liven up a little as we were leaving though.
We ended the day at home passing out candy to the neighborhood kids. It's amazing to us that he liked his costume enough to wear it all day. He never even tried to take off the head piece, which is unbelievable because he wont keep a hat on his head for more than 2 seconds.

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* Thanks so much to our great friend Dan for the free passes (which we finally got around to using)!!

** Daddy refused to let mommy look like a dork and ask for a picture with them. Mommy did however manage to take a couple super sneaky pictures after they walked away. Ha! Mommy showed you daddy.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

It's been snowing for three straight days and our family is loving the time at home. Caleb and mommy had the whole day to themselves to play in the snow, sleep, cuddle, and bake pumpkin muffins!* It's already snowed 18.5 inches and it's still coming down! The snow on our deck is taller than Caleb! He's been having a great time all day standing by the glass door and watching the snow flakes fall. He loves to put his lips on the cold glass and then run away laughing. We don't quite have all the winter gear he needs to really go out and play in the snow (note that he's standing in mommy's rain boots), but by the time the next big storm rolls around we'll be prepared so Caleb can do more than just stand there and look cute!_____

* Daddy had to risk his life driving to work not once, but twice today! No, mommy's not bitter... She loves daddy's job...really she does.

Celebrate Good Times!

After the longest and shortest year of our life we've successfully celebrated our guys first birthday!! Thank you to all who came to the party or sent gifts. He (we) loved all the presents and had a great time on his special day. The party, games, and ice cream sundae bar were a huge hit! Caleb had so much fun that he took a time-out to nap in the middle of the party. The big cake was delicious and we even managed to eat most all of it (thanks to daddy), however Caleb wasn't really interested in destroying or making a mess with his mini-cake.

He did play in it a little (mostly attempting to get the sticky icing off his hands) and even took one bite, but after a couple minutes he was over it and ready to go play with his toys. So far his new car from his Aunt Amber is the favorite gift. He even got a personalized licence plate from his Great Grandma Dewitt that fits the car perfectly! After checking the air pressure of the tires and shining up his rims, he was ready for the road. He still has a hard time keeping his 'finger' on the gas because he gets excited and starts clapping or stands up, but once he gets some practice and builds up his finger muscles we are sure he is going to be zipping all over the place.

So, one successful birthday down! Hopefully next year brings us just as many laughs, tears, and wonderful milestones to blog about!

Exercise Gone Awry

Our son is talented. Really he is. We are not the only people who think this either. Lots of other people comment on how smart Caleb is.* We mention this because recently, Caleb has picked up this habit of spinning around in a circle. Yep, like a dog chasing his tail. The first time he did it we laughed at how cute it was. The second time he did it, although still cute, we started to wonder where he picked it up. The next three plus times, we started to wonder....

So, while picking up Caleb from Geby's house (our nanny), mommy decided to ask her if she'd noticed Caleb doing this new trick. The following is what transpired.**

Mommy: Hey, have you noticed Caleb doing this new thing where he spins around in a circle.

Geby: Oh yeah, funny story… You know, I do my exercise video in front of the kids and I think they picked up some of the moves.

Mommy: (thinking - exercise videos??)

Geby: At first, Caleb, he just swings his arms side-to-side for warm up, but then one day he started turning in a circle! He likes that move. Matthew's favorite is the squat up and down, up and down move.

I think it’s cute. Those boys are so funny! It's amazing how qucikly they learn and pick things up.



Yep, really. So...now that we know the source of the spinning it’s clear to us why he only seems to do it when there’s music on. He’s dancing!! Poor Caleb, he’s never going to be cool with this as his signature dance move; and Matthew, we apologize for criticizing your dance moves before.
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* Yes, all of these people are related to us. So? It still counts!

** We LOVE Geby by the way.  Caleb loves her too. She’s the greatest.

Hercules! Hercules!*

With school starting up again we thought we'd post a picture of Caleb carrying his books in his penguin backpack. Actually, the bag is really full of his toys that we do-not-leave-home-without. Penguin comes with us everywhere, in case we need distractions / reinforcements / something that makes a loud noise and will momentarily hold his attention. The bag comes out a lot at restaurants....

Anywoo, we try to encourage Caleb to carry his own stuff whenever possible to free mommy and daddy up to hold other things (diaper bag, car seat, stroller, jacket, food, bottles, etc). It may sound a little harsh to make him carry his stuff, but honestly, kid = TON OF CRAP!** Not to worry though, the boy is freakishly strong so he can handle it. We're not sure if it's the homemade baby food or the breast feeding that made him this way; maybe he just takes after his father, but our mini-Hercules (Hurc for short) is one strong little dude. Just yesterday he picked up mom's 2lb weight (one-handed) and walked across the room 'pumping' it up and down. True story!!
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* To be said while clapping and talking like the mom in The Nutty Professor movie. C'mon, it's fun!

** This not only applies to Caleb's 'crap' that we lug around, but Caleb's other crap as well.

The Caleb Matthew Band

Move over Dave Matthews Band...there's a new band coming to get ya...

For a while mommy and daddy were convinced Cae was destined to be one of the great basketball phenoms (refer to basketball highlights for proof). However, after seeing this "video shoot" of Caleb and his little friend, Matthew, at the nanny's house we are starting to see more music in Caleb's future.

Cae rocks the drums while Matthew busts-a-move! Caleb seems fairly comfortable on the drums but his song could use a little work! Matthew could definitely use a few more dance lessons.

We especially love how Caleb looks back to see if Matthew is still feeling the beat before he continues with his solo, and how he just throws down the drumstick once he realizes Matthew stopped dancing. He's like, "Peace, we're out of here". This may just be funny enough to submit to America's Funniest Home Video!

The Cutest Face in the World!

We know it's been a month since we've posted anything, but we've been a very busy family! Caleb's been exploring, traveling, and getting bigger by the minute! He's 11 months old today (YAY) and it's hard to believe that in just one short month we will be celebrating his 1st birthday!

More posts will follow soon, but in the meantime we had to post this adorable picture of Caleb in his car seat. How can you resist these enormous puppy dog eyes?!?!? This is the look he gives us when we put him in his car seat. We are hoping that once he turns one and we can put him in a forward facing car seat we wont have to see this look anymore... we don't think we could bear to see these sad little eyes much longer!

Another Day Older!

Caleb is 10 months old today! Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday we were carrying him around everywhere and kissing his little cheeks, and now he's practically grown - walking all over the place and far to busy to be smothered with countless kisses. We finally had his 9 month appointment last week and everything is looking good. He is 17 lbs 10 ounces now (putting him in the 15th percentile for weight) and 28 inches tall (50th percentile for height). We are very happy to report that his body is finally catching up with his head - he's dropped from the 90th percentile to the 78th in head circumference.

Our little man is changing so much from month to month we can't even imagine what new things are in store for us when he turns 1. Toys that once upon a time seemed HUGE in comparison he's already beginning to out grow!

What a difference a couple of months makes. When he was 3 months old the giraffe was twice his size and his fat little legs were not even close to touching the foot pads. Now he rides that thing like a little cowboy! Oh, and check out his little curls. They are out of control now! We've already cut his hair 3 times!

Cae Walks It Out!

He's walking!!! Can you believe it!?!? It seems like just yesterday we were posting news of his one-legged crawl, and now he's walking all over the place! The walking is still fairly new, so he still stumbles often and hasn't quite mastered getting up without help from the parents or a nearby piece of furniture, but still we think it's pretty impressive that he's walking this well already!

Caleb walk it out, west side walk it out, east side walk it out, now watch him walk it out... a walk it out, walk it out (we thought this theme song was fitting)!

Say Hello To My Little Friends!

Meet Caleb's two new friends (he's showing them to you)...his bottom two teeth! Aren't they cute? For a while they were just poking through the gum, but now they've completely pierced the skin and they are a force to be reckoned with! He quickly got the hang of using them to chew everything! He crunches away on Cheerios and tofu with no problem at all. He gnawed through two books and a plastic ring like they were butter. He even bit daddy's shoulder (ouch), and managed to take a huge bite out of his Pokemon ball. Nothing is safe now...

With more and more things heading directly to Caleb's mouth, mommy and daddy increasingly find ourselves saying,"Caleb, NO MOUTH". In fact, we say it so much that we're fairly confident these will be his first words. He's already showing signs that he understands what we're saying... he basically smiles and laughs in our face every time we say it.

Sign Me Up For The Dunk Contest

Remember the video a couple posts back when we showed you Caleb impersonating Shaq and destroying the basketball hoop? Well, he still likes to knock the hoop over every once in a while, but now he's also learned to put his basketballs (and other toys) in the hoop! It only took a couple days, and some gentle prodding from mommy and daddy, before he realized what he was supposed to do. And, low and behold - he got it! Making baskets now comes easy for our little dude! He dunks the ball and then claps and cheers along with the 'fake' crowd and mommy and daddy. The crowd also goes wild when he does some of his fancier tricks like dunking rattles, blocks, and even diapers!

Cae is now totally aware that toys go in the basket - any basket. The other day as mommy was folding laundry she found three toys (Punchin Judy, Fish called Wanda, and Quackers) wedged between the shirts and socks. Apparently for Caleb, the laundry basket sometimes doubles as a basketball hoop. Mommy and daddy are very proud that Caleb's learned this new (and very valuable) skill so quickly, and look at it as a blessing that he is learning early to put his toys away. Although finding teething rings and rubber ducks in the laundry basket, mommy's purse or daddy's bag is not ideal, at least they are up off the floor!

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

Caleb finally managed to get a little tan! We spent Memorial Day weekend relaxing in Arizona, and while mommy and daddy busied ourselves mixing drinks and playing games on the iPhone, Caleb soaked up some much needed sun and vitamin D!
It took him a little while to adjust to the heat, but after a couple dips in the pool and Aunt Amber's sunglasses, he was totally content. He even put up the 'no more pictures - I'm relaxing' hand to keep the paparazzi (aka mommy and daddy) away.
Apparently kids become way too cool for their parents well before they enter the teenage years.

Lights...Camera...Action!

In our continuing effort to capture the major changes in Caleb's life we decided to hire a photographer to do four photo session with Caleb. We had our third session two weeks ago and the pictures turned out great! Although there were moments when we had to resort to silly faces, squeaky toys, song and dance to get him to smile, for the most part he was a willing participant. We've posted a few shoots from the session above and he looks adorable if we do say so ourselves! If you want to see more pictures from the shoot (and really why wouldn't you) you can check them out on the photographers website. She only keeps his pictures up for a month so if you want to order something don't delay!

To view all the photos go to:
http://www.elcphoto.com/

Click on View Your Event

In the Event Login box enter code: Caleb

You can order images directly from the website if you are interested.

Enjoy and be sure to let us know what you think!

SHAQ-ZILLA!

Now that the NBA playoffs are in full swing, daddy decided it was time to get Cae interested in basketball. So, Saturday morning we made a trip to the toy store and bought Cae a mini basketball hoop, a bath tub basketball hoop, a hammer - because Cae likes to beat stuff, and numerous other toys.

The basketball hoop came complete with sound effects, a score board, a cheering crowd, and a break away hoop when you dunk. It's about the size of Cae and not incredibly sturdy. So far Cae has been more interested in the hoop accessories then the actual art of putting the ball in the basket. This is a problem because Caleb is freakishly strong and when he attempts to pull on the basket, adjust the score, or smack the little flying guy attached to the back board (not sure what the purpose of that dude is), he ends up doing a great young Shaq impression and destroys everything in his path.

Follow this link to see Shaq in action: http://vodpod.com/watch/1397229-shaqs-dunk-breaks-backboard

Now see Cae dominate the boards...

Look out Shaq - he may be small but he brings the thunder!

West Siiidddee!

Caleb is part of the new generation of gangsta. These baby terrors look sweet and innocent on the outside, hiding their hardness behind polo shirts and GAP hats. But once you get beyond the facade there lies a true thug. Skilled in throwing gang signs (notice the west side) and putting you in your place with a penetrating stare.

Ice Cube said it best...Damn it feels good to be a gangsta!

I Am Not My Hair

Now that Caleb is older and wiser we thought we'd think seriously about a hairstyle for him. Not really, but that sounds better than - mommy and daddy thought it would be funny to style his hair different ways and take pictures. Hey, we're not claiming we're hip and exciting people. Kids change you...

Caleb's hair is nothing like you'd expect. He almost has a little baby mullet (business in the front - party in the back). Only Cae's mullet can be better described as, mommy in the front - daddy in the back. The front section of his hair is nice, curly and manageable while the back is nappy and unruly. We've tried to tame the back hair, curl it, and slick it down, but those little hairs just wont acquiesce. The temporary fix we've discovered is to get it wet. Therefore, every night while Cae takes a bath and plays with his toys, mommy and daddy take the opportunity to try out new hairstyles. Some of our favorites are: The Donald Trump, the Michael Jackson, the comb over, the fohawk, the Jheri curl, the sales man, the greaser, and the Alph Alpha.

After very little deliberation (because really most of these are ridiculous) we've decided to stick with the fohawk until the 'daddy' part decides to cooperate.

Happy 7 Month Birthday to Me!

Today Cae turned 7 months old! Can you believe how fast he's growing? We're hoping month 7 is just as much fun as the last 6. Oh, and we're praying that with month 7 comes the desire to finally sleep all the way through the night!

Gimme My Book

So, apparently Caleb read the blog post the other day about him not wanting to crawl and decided to go ahead and get-er-done. He crawled today!

It's a funny looking crawl - not exactly graceful or coordinated - but at least he's crawling. He really tries to avoid being on his knees, so he sort of grabs the floor with his toes and propels his body forward. Daddy calls it the army crawl. Mommy thinks he looks like a little frog because he hops forward.

So far the only things he finds worthwhile to crawl to are his books and our cell phones, but we are sure with some more practice he will be all over the house and into everything soon enough. Baby proofing is now our top priority.

We can't wait to see what our little guy has in store for us tomorrow!

Sometimes You Gotta Walk Before You Crawl

We're back from Arizona! Mommy and daddy both came back a year older and wiser, but we are sad to report that Cae did not come back with the tan we'd hoped for. He did however pick up a new trick! Not sure when or where he learned this, but needless to say it's definitely time to baby proof the house!

So far, try as we may, we've been unable to get Caleb to crawl... crawl forward that is. He is a pro at crawling backward and the 'butt scoot'. He's figured out that he can get to almost anything he wants if he first scoots into position on his butt, then crawls/pushes himself backward, and then drops on his stomach near the desired object. What if the object of choice is in front of him? Well, he will scoot around on his butt until his back is to the object and then repeat the backward crawl/push, drop routine all over again. Not that this isn't hilarious to watch, but you can imagine our excitement when he pulled his little body up all by himself on the stairs. Hey - we know it's not full on walking yet - but it's definitely a start and refreshing to see him make steps towards moving forward instead of backward for a change!

Cause I'm Leavin on a Jet Plane

We're off on our second family trip! Goodbye unpredictable Colorado weather, hello sunshine and 80 degrees! We're spending the weekend in Arizona celebrating mommy and daddy's birthdays’. Cae will be spending the majority of the trip sunbathing - we're hoping he picks up some color!

The New Babysitter

Caleb loves to play in his bouncer! Put him in it and he is totally content for a good 30 minutes. Caleb's Great Uncle Emerson affectionately refers to the bouncer as "The New Babysitter."

I Drop Bombs Like Hiroshima

OH MY GOODNESS! Brace yourselves!

So this is probably too much information, but we just had to share...

Tonight Cae blessed us with his first real food poop. Words can not describe how incredibly foul it was. Gone are the days of the sweet smelling, mustard yellow poop. Even the egg and sulfur poop would be a welcome friend compared to what we discovered stuck to his bottom tonight.

He literally cleared the room. I think we may have actually hurt his feelings as we backed away and stared in shock.

Forget for a moment that the smell alone was enough to have us gagging for air, but the consistency was like that of tar. Yuck! We'll spare you any details on the color in case you haven't already thrown up in your mouth a little bit.

We seriously can't believe something so cute could produce something so offensive. For those of you with kids, we know you feel our pain. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of seeing this modern marvel - please feel free to come help change diapers anytime!

I Love It When You Call Me Big Pop-pa

Cae,

I'm so proud of you man, but let's work on some new sounds soon...you're making mommy mad.

We still have to live with her buddy. :)

-Dada

The Longer We Play

You know how people say the longer you are with a person the more you start to look a like? Or that people start to resemble their pets as time passes? Well, we think Cae and his toy (Leap Frog) are proof positive that the longer you play with a toy, the more you start to look alike as well.

Everything Tastes Like Chicken

Everyone says that when Caleb starts teething he will drool excessively and try to suck or chew on anything in reaching distance. According to the doctor he is not teething yet, but that hasn't stopped him from drooling and sucking on anything and everything he can get his little hands on.

So now your thinking, "Surely he can't suck on everything!" Well lets see, he enjoys the taste of (1) plastic, (2) cardboard, (3) skin and hair, (4) cotton, (5) metal, and (6) trees. His favorite flavors being...remote controls, cell phones, books, his fingers, your fingers, my fingers, his toes - yes his toes, daddy's arm, mommy's face, plastic toys, cotton toys, all toys, stuffed animals, socks, shoes, clothes, pillows, blankets, bottles, paper - all paper - he especially loves the paper they put down on the exam table in the doctors office, zippers, hair, the sides of tables and chairs, and his lower lip.






So far it seems the only things Caleb will not suck, or tolerate anywhere near his mouth, is a pacifier - any pacifier. I assure you we've tried.

So, here's to hoping this is just a passing phase and one day soon we can pick up something in the house without it being covered in baby saliva.