Terrified

I'm going to be completely honest...I am terrified of the next 18 months.

Caleb was a really good baby. Sure, he was high maintenance and required attention, but in a lot of ways he was super easy. He very rarely put anything into his mouth. He didn't throw major fits (until recently!) and never climbed on things. Baby-proofing wasn't a real issue because he didn't bother anything really. He's a rule follower, so if you tell him not to bother something and explain why, he'll obey. To this day he still isn't getting out of his bed because we told him he couldn't. Early on I was able to put on a show for him and trust that when I told him to stay on the couch while I took a shower, he would. In those ways, he is a really, really good boy.

Meet Luke. Luke is very laid back and rarely cries, which has made him low maintenance so far. He is usually happy and smiling, and is a great sleeper. But this child is no rule follower. And this child has a temper. The previous picture shows what happens when you take something away from Luke. He screams. And turns red. And does his very best to get it back. (The train remote control.) This fit lasted until something else took his attention. The following picture shows why my glass table will not be clean for years to come. He takes his food and mashes it into the table. I try to scoot him away, and even then he reaches so far to get his sticky fingers on the glass.
I have a few predictions...I won't be able to take showers while Luke sits still on the couch and watches a show. I won't be able to clean my kitchen while he plays with his toys in the living room. I will probably find him on our kitchen counter, dining room table, bathroom vanity, or maybe even his dresser. I might see him attempting to climb out of his crib on the monitor. I won't be able to turn my head for a second.

Because my boys have been relatively easy newborns, and by that I mean they both slept really well, I don't feel like I have had a scary transition with either of them. I haven't felt totally overwhelmed for days at a time, and our "bad" days have been quickly replaced with awesome ones. I have felt confident in my job as their Mom, waking up each day knowing that I'd be able to handle all that was about to come. That is, until now...

He's on the move, and I am terrified. Seriously, I am more anxious now than either of the days that I brought them home from the hospital. Luke's on the move, and he isn't slowing down. Caleb has Legos, snap blocks, Hot Wheels, train cars with tiny wheels, and Tinker Toys, all of which would be terrible for Luke to get his hands on. How do you baby-proof when you have a three year old. Did I mention I am terrified? I've got to put the song "You're Going to Miss This," on repeat so I don't wish this time away.

Caleb's Class

Videos taken with my phone so not the best quality- sorry! Caleb is on the far left in a red shirt and jeans.

Smile

When I see this child,

talk about this child, or even just think about this child,
I can't help but to smile.

Helping Grandpa

Caleb takes his job of helping Grandpa very, very seriously! Hopefully he's learning a thing or two!

3 1/2

Happy 1/2 birthday, sweet Caleb! It's hard to believe that you are on your way to turning four. Where does the time go?!! At 3 1/2 you are an amazing little guy- talkative, inquisitive, friendly, impulsive, stubborn, and helpful are some of the words I'd use to describe you. For those that know you well, the word talkative doesn't quite do you justice. Seriously, some days you do not stop talking. Ever. You are a total sponge, soaking up as much knowledge about your world as you can. Honestly, I don't have many of the answers to your questions. Conversations with you go like this...

You: Why do we have insulation?

Me: To help keep our house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

You: What does it do in the spring?

Me: Um, I don't know how to answer that.

*****

You:Why does Santa say "Ho ho ho?" What does "Ho ho ho" mean?

Me: Um, I don't know really.
(Luckily you are okay with that answer!)

*****

One of the things about you that cracks me up is your stubbornness. While it does drive me crazy now, I know that if you use your power for good and not evil, you will go so far! For example, one morning I decided to reward you with three pieces of candy (Sweet Tarts, one of your favorites) because you didn't call me at all to your room the night before. This was a surprise reward, something we hadn't talked about prior. After showing you the candy and telling you what it was for, how proud I was of you, etc., you said that you wanted four pieces, not three. I said "no," and to my surprise, you refused to take the three pieces of candy. You simply walked away. In your mind, if you couldn't have four, you didn't want any.
*****

Many, many times a day we hear...

"I got a great idea." You say your "great" idea, then follow up with "wouldn't that be great?!"

At 3 1/2 you LOVE...

~having conversations with anyone who will listen

~treats (Candy, candy, bubble gum, and more candy)

~playing with your "snap blocks" (Trio building set)

~watching movies: Ice Age, Monsters Inc, Toy Story 1, 2, & 3

~playing with your pretend food (You pretend you work at various restaurants, take our order, and then bring our food.)

~helping out around the house (Cooking, cleaning, getting me things, etc.)

~going places (Grandparents' houses, the mall, etc.)

~when people come to visit you

At 3 1/2, you do NOT like...

~vegetables (except raw carrots)

~trying new food

~being told "No", especially when it has to do with candy

~your "night terrors," which occur 4 or 5 nights out of the week. (Thankfully you don't remember having them.)

At 3 1/2, we are working on...

~going to bed without you calling us back to your room

~not yelling "NO!" to us

~using your "listening ears" (Hearing what we say and not what you want us to be saying!)

~tracing shapes, letters, and numbers

~table manners

We LOVE every single little thing about you, Caleb, even those things that drive us crazy right now! And like you say, Everybody loves Caleb!

You are one special little guy. I can't fathom what's in store for you, but I hope you know that you've got lots of people praying for you and what's to come!

"Dada"

Deck the Halls

Well, it's been almost a week since I posted anything on here. We're good- baby Luke's pink eye came back over the weekend and spread to his other eye as well. His doctor added another antibiotic and that seemed to help quickly. He is doing great now!

I realized I never posted our Christmas decorating pictures...we always decorate the week of Thanksgiving and love the family time. Creed's grandmother knitted all of our stockings, and very recently finished Luke's! So, so special- we LOVE them!

Caleb attempted to put the star on top!
Hanging the first ornaments...

We also set up the train that night. The boys loved playing with it.

Another Antibiotic

Luke has pink eye and another ear infection. He is on another antibiotic so we are hoping he is better soon. Since he's been to the doctor 3 times over the past 3 weeks, I've been able to keep tabs on his weight. Check this out...

2 weeks ago: 18 pounds, 5 ounces (sick)

last week: 18 pounds, 4 ounces (well baby visit, lost weight from stomach bug)

today: 19 pounds, 3 ounces!!!

He is definitely growing, despite being sick! Please say a prayer that he will be better soon and that big brother (and Creed & I) don't get his highly contagious pink eye as well!

Here he is, a week or so ago, trying to crawl to the train. He has that "I just got caught!" look on his face.

A Toothy Grin

After putting down a 9 ounce bottle and almost 2 containers of baby food last night, Luke chowed down on peas, carrots, mac and cheese, meatloaf, and a crescent roll. (Seriously, he ate for 50 minutes straight!) He's putting those teeth to good use!

December

We've been busy this first week of December- shopping, playing, cleaning, baking, hosting, and Elf hiding...the usual this time of year. Yes, we started The Elf on the Shelf tradition this year. I read Caleb the book and he had about one million questions, most of which I tried to let the book answer. He was pretty excited before bed.
The next morning he found his elf over our kitchen window. When he saw it he said, "That's not a real elf! It's a pretend elf. It's just a decoration elf!" Ha! He named her (Yes, it's a her because Caleb pointed out that "she has pretty eyes.") Betty and has enjoyed finding her each morning since.

Caleb is very into helping me in the kitchen these days! His favorite thing is to make his own black olive and cheese pizza. Yum!
Saturday night we held the last leg of our ABF's progressive dinner at our home. I made chocolate chip cookies, M & Ms cookies, Reese Cup cookies, and caramel pecan dream bars. Creed was up til midnight Friday making his world famous pumpkin roll! It didn't disappoint!
Sunday evening we went to the mall so the boys could sit on Santa's lap. When Caleb first saw Santa he pointed at him and said, "He's going to love me!" When it was Caleb's turn he climbed on his lap and talked to Santa, mostly about his elf Betty. We got a picture of both boys (This is a picture I took with my phone of the real picture, so it isn't good quality!) and we are now 4-0 for no tears on Santa's lap!