Happy Birthday, Ava Grace!

Today we got to celebrate Cousin Ava's first birthday! It is
so hard to believe that she is already one year old. Time
sure flies... Also, today Caleb turned 9 months old. It is so
special to know that Caleb and Ava will be able to grow
up together!

The birthday girl, all smiles

Caleb LOVES his Papa Joe!!!

Caleb and Reagan (She's only 2 months!!!!)

This is my all time favorite picture of Ava. I LOVE

the expression on her face. What you need to know

is that her cake was on a plate, but someone took

the plate away so her cake would be on her tray. It's

like she is saying, "Who do you think you are to

take my plate?! Haven't you heard that today is about

me!" Priceless!

I...think...I...can...!!

His eyes lock on the water bottle...He begins to scoot...


Got it...oh, it's slipping...


It's mine now!


Isn't this what you're supposed to do with a water bottle?


I CANNOT believe that I worked that hard and then you
took it away. Not fair!

Whirlwind Tour

A whirlwind tour of Lexington...that is the only way to describe
our day today. It began at Julius Marks Elementary, the school
I used to teach at. From there we headed to Paul Miller Ford,
where Daddy used to work, to visit friends. Then if was off to
Hamburg for lunch and shopping. Our day ended with a visit
to the Sikura's, the family I used to nanny for. Whew! What a
busy and great day!

Caleb loved visiting with Mrs. McKee. He even went to the

principal's office...his ONLY trip, I hope!

Visiting with cousin Jackson, who happens to be in 1st

grade now.

For lunch we went to Ted's...one of Mommy's favorites

Sharing some of Mommy's bison burger and yummy french

fries. What a great lunch date!

At the Sikura's, Caleb got to play with his Christmas

present.

Four precious boys! Caleb thought he was big stuff around

them.

Caleb was amazed with all of their toys- you can see the

over stimulation in his eyes! :)

Jaden worked so hard to get the Thomas tent upstairs

so Caleb would get in it with him. They had a great time!

Waiting for Caroline

About fours years ago, my uncle Jeff and Aunt Kim shared
the exciting news that they were going to adopt a little girl
from China, and name her Caroline. (They already have two
boys, Zach and Kyle.) At that time, Chinese adoptions were
taking about 6 months...4 years later...we are still waiting for
Caroline. But, the exciting news is that their time has come!
Caroline should be home and with a family that is dying to
hold her, spoil her, and dress her in head to toe pink in May!
As soon as they get their referral and a picture, I'll share it with
you. For now, here is Caleb at Kim's shower. He thought he
would try out Caroline's new chair. He is waiting for her too!


For updates on Caroline, you can check her blog that I
have listed, or just click on this link, The Hume Family.

Eyes Glued

After taking Madalyn's recommendation, I bought Caleb the

musical DVD, "The Laurie Berkner Band." While I did laundry

on Saturday morning, I put him in the middle of our bed and

put in the DVD. His eyes were glued!

You'll notice that in this picture our laundry is folded...yes,

Caleb sat still that long!

**WARNING: For those of you with small children thinking

of purchasing the DVD...these songs get stuck in your head

like no other! Remember, I told you so!

Another first

We decided to go ahead and take Caleb to the doctor today
since the weekend was coming. I'm so glad that we (actually
Creed took him while I was at work) did because as it turns
out Caleb does have an ear infection. They have started him
on antibiotics, so hopefully it will be cleared up soon!

On another note...Caleb topped the scales today at 20 pounds,
6 ounces!

Many Firsts

Caleb had a lot of firsts today. It all started with his first
haircut. We took him to the salon where I get my hair done,
and all of the girls there loved him. He loved it because there
were about 8 ceiling fans going!

He was precious, and did so well...

You can see him eyeing the comb & scissors...This was

followed with his first sucker!

After we introduced the sucker into the equation, he did

amazing. Wherever we needed him to turn his head, we

moved the sucker, and he followed. It worked like a charm!

Even tilting his head for a sucker...

Daddy tried to get us to leave his rat tail- no way! It was

coming off!

All done! What a big boy (on a sugar high!)

Unfortunately, his first haircut and sucker was followed by his

first fever. I noticed that he was feeling a little warm this

evening and it was 100.1 Not too high, but I'm praying he does

okay overnight. He has had a runny nose all week, so I'm

worried that it may be turning into an ear infection. I guess we

will find out tomorrow.

This is fun...

Caleb was so excited to get a special package from Marshma!
You see, Marshma and Papa went to Florida right after Christmas,
and Caleb has been missing them soooo much. Apparently they
miss Caleb too because he keeps getting mail and packages from
them!

Checking it out

What is this????

Ohhhh! It's my very first backpack!

I look at least three with my backpack, right?!!

Marshma, Thank you very much for my first backpack.

I really like it and can't wait to fill it up with my toys. I

miss you and Papa, and can't wait to come and visit

next month! Love, Caleb

Something New

Caleb loves to eat.

Breakfast, lunch, snacks, & dinner.

And, if you saw his belly that now hangs over his diaper,
you'd see the result of all that eating. He usually begins
with around two jars of baby food- stage 2 & 3. His favorites
include sweet potatoes, green beans, and applesauce. He
then moves on to finger food: whole wheat pasta or bread,
peas or green beans, and his new favorite...Gerber
Graduates Ravioli! He especially loves the ravioli!

My favorite part of his meal time is watching his little fingers
work. He is now a master at the art of "pinching"...using his
pointer finger and thumb to pick up even the hardest of
targets...peas. When it comes time for the slimy, wet ravioli,
Caleb soon gives up with the pinching and opts for a scoop
method- using all of his little fingers. While this does make
a mess, it gets the job done.

But, the one finger food that some how can always escape
the grasp of his fingers...pears! He loves pears, but gives
up after chasing them around his tray. I usually end up feeding
them to him with a fork. So, I decided to hand him the fork, with
the pear already on it, and see what he would do. As I'm sure
you know...I had the camera ready.

Eyeing up the pear...

I think he caught on! Much easier than using the fingers!

Sitting up: check

Rolling over: check

Drinking from a cup: check

Waving Bye: check

Using a fork: check

Crawling: are you crazy? of course not!

Fun in the big tub!

Yesterday I decided to let Caleb have a little fun in our big
bathtub. Have I mentioned that I am dying for spring to get
here...there are only so many things you can do/play with
over and over with a baby. I thought a bath in the middle of
the day might spice things up. Needless to say, he loved
every minute in it!

I think this smile says it all...More baths in this tub, please!