Go Rangers!

Today we took Caleb to his first Ranger game. I am sure that with Taylor's love of the Rangers this will be the first of many visits to come. The Walker family joined us for the fun and I think Hayes and Caleb both had a good time. Caleb even took a nap in the middle of the game which is hard to believe if you know Caleb and how particular he is about napping! We left the game a little early due to the hot sun and hungry babies but we had a great time while we were there. Thanks for going with us Walkers. Maybe next time the Rangers can pull off a win.

Taylor and Caleb waiting to leave for the game. All decked out to support the Rangers!

This is one sleepy baby that is trying to take it all in at the ballpark.

Apparently Hayes wasn't in the mood for pictures today. Perhaps too many were taken last week at Disney World.

Cookin' in the Kitchen

Saturday night while Taylor and I were cooking dinner, Caleb decided that he needed to be helping. I am not sure that he was much help getting dinner on the table but I think he enjoyed playing. He will be ready to learn how to make those tasty cinnamon rolls that Taylor makes in no time!

The picture above makes me laugh because it is almost as though Caleb is about to say, "We're having what for dinner"

This is how we know that Caleb really is my child. He and I have the same taste in ice cream bowls!

Big Boy Seat

Caleb is now in his big boy car seat! For the past few weeks anytime we were in the car Caleb was most likely unhappy which led to an unhappy mommy. I would look in the back seat to see a little boy trying the sit up in his infant carrier. That can't be good so bye bye infant carrier and hello big boy car seat. Hopefully this will help with the dislike of the car.

A Laid Back Labor Day

We headed out to East Texas for the weekend to enjoy some fresh air and fishing. Usually it's just the three of us and Taylor's family, but this time the entire Steele side of the family went. I think the total count was 23 people staying in two houses. Needless to say there were some moments where we just needed to get away. Caleb found his quiet spot on the front porch rocking in his little white rocking chair. I really thought that he would just sit in the chair but oh no he figured out how to make it go back and forth. So much for a relaxing spot for mommy and daddy!

Swim Lessons

On Saturday we took Caleb to his first swim lesson. Thanks Meredith for inviting us to sign up! Grandma and Grandpa came along to join in the fun, too. We were glad to see that our friends, the Carpenters, were also there. Caleb practiced floating on his back and his tummy. He also went underwater for the first time. The instructor told the parents to blow gently in your child's face to make them scrunch it up and then dunk them. This would have been great if Caleb had actually scrunched his face. Instead he just looked at us like we were crazy and then seemed really annoyed that we put him under water. I think in the weeks to come he will get better at that part.

Caleb and Hayes

On Friday night Caleb and Hayes hung out while Taylor and I went to eat with the Walkers and some other friends. Thanks Grandma for coming over and playing with these sweet boys so we could have a night out. What a blessing to have grandparents so close and always willing to love on our babies.
As you can see these boys are growing up so fast. It is hard to believe they are seven months old, sitting up on their own, and getting ready to crawl!


I think Hayes is telling Caleb how much he likes hanging out with Grandma!

Caleb is apparently laying down the law and explaining that he doesn't want to share his Grandma. We will have to work on being nice to our friends!

6 Months

Today was Caleb's half birthday which meant a trip to see Dr. Raine. Here are the stats for half way through the first year:

14 pounds 6 ounces (10th percentile)

26 inches long (50th percentile)

17.5 cm head circumference (50th percentile)

We got the green light to add veggies to the little man's diet and a much needed word of encouragement about the fact that Caleb is still sleeping all swaddled up. Apparently that is something that he will out grow in a few months.

In celebration of his half birthday we got Caleb a cell phone. It is never too early to start texting is it? Actually I just let him play with my old PINK phone. The one thing he always wants to play with is my phone so he was thrilled to have his own to play with.

A Little Bit of Laughter

Most nights before bed Caleb gets delirious and thinks that everything you do is the most hilarious thing he has ever seen. The other night he was exceptionally happy when the laughing started so we decided to video it.

Update

As you can see part of Caleb is still swaddled but his arms are free and he is sound asleep. We didn't have to go into his room at all last night except to take this picture. I know it is silly to be sad that he doesn't want to be wrapped up anymore but I am. I didn't expect him to grow up so quickly.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Bath time at our house is pretty routine. Taylor gets the baby ready and I get the bath ready. Caleb lays in his inflatable tub and enjoys the warm water as I wash wash wash. I realized over the weekend that either the tub had shrunk or Caleb had grown. Either way, it was time for a new way of doing bath time. I wasn't really sure what to do because Caleb isn't sitting up yet and I am not sure that even if he was I would want the hard tub to be the place to show off his skills. So off to the store we went and we came home with this bathtub chair. I would recommend this to anyone. Caleb was able to splash with his hands and feet. I was nervous that Caleb would not like it because he would not be lounging in the warm bath but as you can see he had a pretty great time. What a big guy!

These last two pictures make me laugh! The first one is definitely the "stop taking my picture" face and the last one looks as though Caleb has had a few too many drinks and is ready to call it a night.

Black and White

To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle?

Let me start off by saying that just when I think I have this parenting thing figured out something happens that makes it very clear that I don't. As I type this my precious little man is in his crib with nothing but his pacifier trying desperately to go to sleep. Just when he thinks he is there it seems as though his arms betray him as they swing about recklessly. Let me explain...usually Caleb is swaddled with his arms snuggled in by his side when it is time for sleeping of any kind because he likes that. However, last night I was in his room three times re-swaddling him because he is now strong enough to push his arms out of the bottom and move the blanket up...a position that can't be comfortable at all! Also, let's face it it isn't safe either. So today is the day that Caleb will "learn" to sleep without the comfort of his swaddling blanket....I hope! Please know that it is taking everything in me not to go in there, pick him up, and rock him to sleep. I fear that will only lead to another bad habit. My mother in law told me that it takes three days to make a habit and three days to break one. Here's to a long three days. Wish us luck!

Fourth of July

On Wednesday the three of us headed on a little road trip to East Texas to spend some relaxing time with Taylor's family. Can I just say that packing for such a small person sure seems to take up a ton of space. I wasn't sure it was all going to fit in the car! On Thursday we all went out to First Monday Trade Days in Canton. Man was it hot! I would have had a better time if this old lady at one of the first booths we went to hadn't told me that an infant had died because of heat stroke a couple of weeks ago. "Really lady, I look like the kind of person that will not over react to that kind of information?" Needless to say I freaked out anytime Caleb's cheeks were too pink. On Saturday my parents came out for a day trip. It was fun to grill hotdogs and let Caleb go swimming in the little inflatable pool my mom and dad brought down. I have no pictues of all that fun because my mom was taking pictures so I didn't feel the need. The only pictures I do have from the weekend were taken by Taylor. On Friday morning I came downstairs after getting ready and a photo shoot was taking place. This just goes to prove that if you leave the baby with Daddy, Uncle Grady, and Grandad for just a few minutes you never know what you will see. Is it just me or does he look a little like Tony Romo?

A Trip to the Zoo

The zoo is one of my favorite places so I was very excited for our first trip to the zoo with Caleb. I am not sure that Caleb had any idea where we were but he seemed to have a good time riding around in his stroller as Taylor and I looked at all the animals. All the fun the zoo has to offer apparently makes for a very tired baby.

Sitting Up...Kind of

I know this isn't really sitting up, but I think for almost five months it's pretty good. I am sure that before I know it this little man will be sitting up all by himself without the support of his hands.

Cereal

Tuesday was Caleb's first experience with cereal. As you can see he wanted cheerios but he had to settle for some rice cereal instead. It seems crazy to think that almost five months have passed and now our little guy is eating "real" food. I guess what people say is true...they really do grow up so fast.

I wasn't sure if Caleb was ready for cereal but Monday night while Taylor and I were eating dinner he was opening his mouth like a baby bird every time we would put a bite in our mouths. These pictures pretty much tell the story of a baby that was ready for some "solid" food.

Fun in the Sun

I love summer and I love being in the pool! Hopefully Caleb will feel the same way. He got his chance today to try out his new floaty at Uncle Barry and Aunt Debbie's pool. Before we got in the pool we had to try on our new shade hats and have a small photo shoot. Thankfully Caleb is usually willing to participate in our silliness. When we finally got ready to swim he was a little apprehensive about the cool water but quickly decided it was like a giant bath tub. I think he is going to like swimming.

Meeting Jude

Caleb met Jude, his second cousin, today. Jude lives in New York with his mommy and daddy. This was Jude's first trip to Texas so we thought we would all meet at Grandma and Pop Steele's house for the introduction. Jude was born 5 weeks after Caleb but as you can see there is little difference between the two of them. We all had a great time and we look forward to hanging out with Jude again soon!

Swimming

Tonight after dinner Taylor and I decided to see if Caleb liked swimming. We picked up his Uncle Grady and headed for the park. Caleb was a little tired, but still enjoyed himself. He was completely fascinated by the older children in the pool.


Taylor made me take the picture above. I didn't find it nearly as amusing as the boys did. There must be something about pictures of fake peeing that I as a woman will never understand.


Lastly, there was a dad at the park that commented that he couldn't remember his son ever being that small. He asked what Caleb weighs to which I replied, "almost 13 lbs." The man then exclaimed, "Oh, he must be about 6 weeks old, right?" I know that his britches were a little big for him and Caleb is a tad on the small side, but 6 weeks old....I could have cried.

Swinging

Tuesday was Caleb's first park and swing experience. Taylor and I met up with Krista, Meredith, Jillian, and Gigi to enjoy some of the sunshine. As you can see, Caleb has a little bit more growing to do before he will be able to fit into the swing. He was very cooperative despite his apparent lack of interest in swinging.

Tummy Time

We spent Memorial Day weekend in East Texas with Taylor's parents, Granddad and Duckie. Caleb spent lots of time on his tummy trying to recreate the rolling over that he achieved Saturday morning. Much to our dislike, Caleb decided this was as good as it would get. No rolling over for him at Granddad and Duckie's. This is probably not the last time he will not perform on command.

My Favorite Thing

I thought I would start this blog with some pictures of Caleb showing off his handsome smile. Listening to him laugh has become one of my favorite things to do. I think it is so funny to watch him crack himself up about something.