Caleb's First Birthday

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Inconceivable! Hmm, "I do not think it means what you think it means." Okay, Heather, that was nerdy.

But seriously...oh.my.gosh Caleb is 1 year old now. It really does seem inconceivable sometimes. Yet, here we are with practically a toddler now. Generally I would launch into how quickly the year has gone by and yada yada. In reality though, sure it went fast, but parts of it went extremely slow. Like those nights where you wake up every three hours. That seemed slow. Or the days where he was Mr. Fussy pants and was all crankiness most likely due to who-knows-what -- sick, teething, tummy ache, it's a toss up sometimes. Yea, that all seemed slow.

Overall, though, I look back and think, "wow, we've raised this little guy from birth to a year old. That happened fast!" I keep thinking back to last year at this time. It's been an incredible journey so far (and it'll keep going and keep being incredible!). This has been the hardest, but most rewarding year of my life. Life has changed radically and I do not think I can even put it into words. It's been amazing to watch Caleb grow from the tiny little 5 pound 6 ounce newborn to his current 17 pound 5 ounce boy. I look at his newborn photos and it seems unreal now, but it still melts my heart. 

The little guy we have before us today still melts my heart. I'm 100% sure he'll melt my heart for the rest of my life. I go gaga over his little arms raised at me saying, "lift me up, mama!" Or that little finger he loves to point at everything and say "dat!" Or when he speed crawls down the hall, then stops and looks back expecting me to speed crawl after him. Then he continues on laughing. That laugh - it's contagious! Can you tell I'm in love? Is my gushing starting to get a little annoying. Well, it's my motherly duty. 

I bought him this adorable orange shirt. I think he looks pretty good in orange. He also looks good in blue; it brings out the blue in his eyes. Fun fact: the #1 thing strangers comment on are his blue eyes. They do seem to have a brilliant shade of blue and sparkle, especially when he smiles. The other two most commented things are his simple & dimple - he has a cute dimple on his cheek when he smiles. Also, I often get told he should be a Gerber baby model. I tend to agree (but I might be biased). 

To celebrate his first birthday, we had a small little get together at our home. I themed it "Winter ONEderland" (with sub-theme "celebrating Caleb's first on the first" since we had the party on 1/1/17) - yea, I'm corny. We decorated in blue, silver, and white to make it all wintery. Josh dressed up our holiday bear bust for the party, too. I thought it was pretty hilarious. It was fun to put it all together. Honestly, Caleb just wanted to tear everything down and put it in him mouth, so this was really for the parents. 

I got my crafty hands out and made this little chalkboard sign for the party. I wrote a DIY post if you're interested in how I made it. It was fun to put together and think about all the Caleb-isms. Although I realized I missed a few things. Under "I Love" I totally should have listed that he loves the Apple TV remote. It's crazy how much he loves it. What didn't fit were listing nicknames like "Captain Yogurt Face" given to him by Josh. Or what he's known for: his dashing smile, dimple, and blue eyes. Or his favorite word: Dat. Otherwise it really sums him up! 

Of course, we had to have cake. What's a party without cake. I made Caleb a little smash cake. I used the How Sweet It Is Mini Sprinkle Smash Cake recipe and it turned out quite tasty and totally sweet. I considered one of those healthy smash cakes they say for babies, but then I was like...why? We are celebrating..with sugar!

I totally expected Caleb to smash it and rub the cake and frosting through his fingers like he does with all his other food. Instead he just sort of stared at it. I took some and put it in his mouth and that got him interested, but he really didn't go smash crazy. I do like that he picked up half of it and tried to take a bite. Here's a video of us signing happy birthday, figuring it out, and taking a bite. 

The rest of us got cupcake versions of the smash cake. Of course, I didn't want to have folks leave on a sugar high, so we also provided snacks and beverages. We were sure to have some Caleb's Kola around as well. And who am I kidding, more sugar - hurray! So there was my new favorite crockpot hot chocolate. 

We did enjoy celebrating and Caleb enjoyed sitting in his throne, I mean high chair, waiving his king scepter, I mean party horn. 

And no party is a party without friends! We had a few friends over to help celebrate. 

It was great to have a little fun to celebrate one! I still have to post the usual update, but I thought you'd like to hear all about the party first. So up next: 12 month update! I'll be sure to gush some more. ;) 

Caleb's 11 Month Update

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There are no more words or ways to say, "I can't believe it" or "time is just flying!" I have used them all up in my monthly updates. But it's just so true. This year has flown by and just can't believe he's getting to the one year birthday. Oh man, it's crazy. 

A wee bit late getting this update posted. Why, you ask? Because...Life (with a baby).  

Anyway, here we are at 11 months. Gosh, it's a good thing the stickers only go up to 12 months because it's getting ridiculously hard to get photos these days - constant motion, wiggles, crawls, standing up & down, and squirming all about. You can see I got desperate at the end when I stuck both stickers hoping for something...anything. Photos are tough (diaper changes are even tougher! TMI?).

Taking the photos has gotten frustrating and yet also pretty hilarious. Caleb goes from screaming, crying, hysterical laughing, and back to sweet Caleb. Look at the expression in that face! You could put some funny narration to some of these photos. I like the one with Asha sitting in the background. I imagine the dog saying, "good grief!" I also love his latest expression where he sticks his tough out. 

He's not only cute, but developing so much so fast. He stopped the adorable schooch, and now doing the standard crawl. Once he got that down, he started moving at lightning speed. His little butt wiggles as he goes. He seems to get faster when he's getting into no good (and he knows it). He also discovered the staircase and now likes to head over there to do some stair masters. His curiosity also brought him to the Tupperware drawer. 

SoCal - Grandparents Trip

Caleb and I went down to San Diego to stay with Grandma & Grandpa O'Neill for a week. We got to go to the beach, see Aunt Lindsay, and have fun in the sunny, warm SoCal weather. He was also witness to the Cubs World Series win, which brought Grandpa John to tears (ok, he was sleeping, but he enjoyed the next day celebrations).   

First Thanksgiving

I thought it would be such a fun idea to do a turkey hand picture for Thanksgiving. It didn't go exactly as I imagined, but nonetheless it was cute. Caleb ate some turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Best part of Thanksgiving: seeing Grandma and Grandpa Brown. 

Family Time

Dad works a lot, but we get some fun family time on the weekends. See the rainbow in that picture? That was almost our Christmas card photo. 

Expressions

What I love about Caleb is all his expressions. He's got the best faces! The hats don't stay on very long, but a persistent mom is around to keep it on. I think the most common observation from people when we're out & about is how blue his eyes are and how happy he is. We're pretty lucky to have such a joyful baby.

Friends

Caleb thinks his best friend is Asha. Asha thinks Caleb is her worst nightmare. Maybe once the ear and tail pulling phases ends, things will change (or so Asha hopes). We also got together with our PEPS group friends at Queen Anne Beerhall (yes, babies at a beer hall).

Activities and Around Town

Caleb discovered the Tupperware drawer...eureka! We also still enjoy baby time at the library - we get to play with the parachute and bubbles. And it's pretty cute - every time we pass by a green bush, Caleb points at it because he wants to touch the leaves. 

Dare I say it, but next update is one year. OMG. OMG. OMG.

Caleb's 10 Month Update

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Guys, it's November. NOVEMBER! What the. How the. Oh man.

So Caleb is now 10 months old. That's two months away from a year. Absolutely crazy! This year has been moving the fastest of all the years of my life. At the same time, it's moving the slowest. I know that sounds contradictory, but there is no way to describe how the concept of time changes once you have a baby. It's bizarre. And lovely at the same time.

Taking photos is extremely difficult these days. He absolutely will NOT stay on his back. Not for a second. I have to do a jig and turnaround and sing to get his attention. Even then, it's only like 15 seconds of attention. Otherwise it's back to exploring. The heater vent is way interesting, or how about that wine rack, or maybe the decorative lamp thing. To this 10 month old, everything is captivating. So photos, yea, are the last thing he wants to do. I'm lucky I got these photos - some are blurry, but still cute.

Caleb has been pretty busy this past month. He's learned to pull himself up to standing with anything that's nearby - a couch, toy, person. He's taking some steps with assistance. Teeth are now appearing. It's all so amazing to see. 

Grandma & Grandpa in Utah 

We flew out at the beginning of the month to Utah to visit Grandma and Grandpa Brown. We had a great time visiting them and seeing their new home. Here's my post about our visit. 

Standing Up

As I mentioned, our little explorer is much more mobile these days. He's standing up and taking baby steps (literally taking baby steps, haha). See that one photo in the middle row...that's his determined face. It's hard to capture in a photo, but it's the cutest face he's started to do this past month. He's a very determined little guy. He also likes to climb everything. It scares this mama sometimes, but it's awesome to see how strong he is. 

Cuteness & Food

I think he's just the cutest. I tried buttered toast this month. He likes to naw on it and get the butter and leave the gummed up bread for me. He also thinks everyone should try it, too. He will push it in your face to let you know. Speaking of food, he decided the pouch purees are no go anymore. Instead he's all about the crunch factor. Puffs FTW, especially these Bamba peanut butter puffs. He get SUPER excited when I pull out these puffs - basically pants and bangs on the table. He also loves yogurt. So puffs and yogurt it is. 

Yoga, Friends, Out & About

We like to get out of the house during the day and explore. We did mom and baby yoga together this month. We met some other babies and moms, so it was good fun. 

Caleb also will "sit" in the cart seats at the store. But he likes to turn around and face the direction we are going - not put his feet through the proper way. He's my navigator and captain. 

We hung out with good friends as well. We've known Vivian since his first few weeks - it's so great to see them grow up together. And even though we moved to Tacoma, we still get to see Seattle friends like Tricia and Matthew. 

Oh, and IKEA. That was fun.

First Halloween

Of course, we celebrated Caleb's first Halloween. We didn't dress him up as anything - it didn't seem to make much sense since we weren't going to trick-or-treat nor did we have anywhere to go in a costume. And he's not eating candy yet...but we did get two cute onesies. This one said "Scary Handsome" and the other "Wanna Hang" with a bat hanging upside down. I think he enjoyed the wrappers making crinkly noises the most - he LOVES things that crinkle. 

Fall and Rain

Around mid-October, we started our rainy season. To make us feel better about it, the PNW gives us so many beautiful colors. I just love the fall leaves and treats. Did someone say pumpkin? We visited two different farms in October - a pumpkin patch (see post here) and Lattin's Apple Cider Mill. Fall is my favorite season and I'm so glad to share it with Caleb. I think he likes it, too (I hope, I hope, I hope).

I guess the countdown to his first birthday starts. Yikes! It's so weird to think back to last year at this time - super preggo. Haha! Time...you so crazy.

Off to the Pumpkin Patch

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Oh boy, oh boy, the holiday season has finally arrived. I've been waiting all year for it and this year will be even more delightful since we have Caleb. It's always been a dream of mine to have a little one to share all my holiday joy. I LOVE the holiday season. And Halloween is a good holiday to kick-off the holidays. 

When I was a little one, my parent's would take my sister and I out to Bates Nut Farm. I just loved all the pumpkins and then the store with all the apple and caramel goodness. I do remember my parents made my sister wear sweatshirts in the 90 degree weather so they could get a Christmas card photo. I said to myself then that I wouldn't do that to my child. Luckily for Caleb, it's not 90 degrees in the Pacific NW for October. However, I did find myself wanting to get a great Christmas photo. So I guess I'm turning out like my parents after all. Again luckily, they are pretty great people.

What do you think...do any of these have Christmas photo potential?  

You'll see from the photos that we went to Spooner Farms (Bates Nut is just a bit far away - haha). It was a cute place with pumpkins, a maze, a pumpkin sling shot, food, barn, and a gift shop. We just did the pumpkin patch, barn, and store. I'd hate to get lost in a corn maze with a screaming baby. Seems a bit nightmarish - a good store for a Halloween horror movie, perhaps. 

Anyways, we took lots of photos (and by we, I mean me. I did warn Josh beforehand that I'd be a photo commander). So of course, we had to put our little pumpkin in a wheel barrel. Yup, I'm that mom. But isn't he the cutest? There was some lady behind us that was just making him giggle. 

And get this. I'm here eat Josh's parent's house for the week and Nada shared this photo of Josh and her. Josh is a bit older in his photo, but it's I think it's pretty awesome. 

Caleb and Mom had a good time together trying to pick out a pumpkin. Caleb was just indecisive about which pumpkin to pick as his mom.

Dad was very macho pushing the wheel barrel with all our pumpkins and gourds. Plus, carrying our little pumpkin.

There were some farm animals there as well. Caleb was very interested in the piglets and turkeys. 

Lots of pumpkins and gourds to chose from! We had such a wonderful time as a family together. 

By the end, Caleb was tuckered, but I think he had a good time. I know his parents had a good time! I got some baking pumpkins as well for some delicious pumpkin goodies. 

Caleb's 9 Month Update

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Here we go again, another month come and gone. Caleb is now 9  months old! 

Everyday he amazes me. It's just a joy to watch him grow, learn, and develop. He's pulling up to stand now, and trying to figure out how to walk. All while smiling and laughing. His laugh really steals the show - that little dimple. I die. 

At his 9 month check-up this week, the doctor commented on how friendly, alert, and active he is.  We often get stopped by people saying how cute and observant he is. Yup, that's my boy!

Look at him grow! I'm still in awe at how much he's grown. I see newborns now, and I am surprised at how small they are and realize how much Caleb has grown. 

And of course, I did our 9 month photoshoot. Getting these photos has gotten quite difficult as he's grown and become more mobile. He doesn't like to just lie on his back anymore. As soon as you put him down on his back, he immediately flips over and starts to crawl away (this makes changing his diaper a real challenge). To get these, I ended up grabbing the decorative corn and waiving the husk at him. It worked for like 30 seconds - enough to grab a few shots. 

And a look at his progress this month:

Now onto all the photos for the month. 

Cuteness in Henleys 

I got this three pack of henley shirts on sale at Carter's. Apparently, I love to dress him in these shirts, especially the yellow one. He's starting to grow out of them, so I might have to pick up more!

Playtime

A friend lent us Leo the Lion, and Caleb just loves him. He pulls himself up on it, but really enjoys when I push him around. He also has rediscovered his exersaucer. He still loves to jump-jump-jump, but now he likes to jump, crawl, stand, and get into all sorts of mischief. 

First Zoo Visit

We went to the Point Defiance Zoo, which is only about 5 minutes from our house, with our friend Seana and Sidney. We are now annual members there and it's awesome. Caleb was entranced by the animals, and it was great fun. I think his favorite was the aquarium and jelly fish.

Grandma Jan 

Grandam Jan flew up and spent the week with Caleb and me. It was so nice to have her around (and to help!). I had someone to hold Caleb down while I changed his diaper, haha. Caleb loves his grandma and they had a blast. Unfortunately, we all got sick that week, but it was worth it (or so Grandma Jan says).

Mischief Managed

Why is it that baby's seem to be attracted to anything they are NOT supposed to get into. Caleb loves cords, boxes, baskets, and is constantly trying to escape from the room. He'll go to the doorway, turn to look at me, smile, and then skooch on out. 

Time with Dad

Caleb gets the biggest smile when he sees his dadda. I love seeing them together - my two favorite guys.

Yummy Food & Fun in the Tub

Caleb is still really only into eating purees, but he'll suck those suckers down. His favorites are yogurt and the Beef & Veggie Medley. 

And isn't that Ducky tub the cutest? I saw it and had to have it. It's prefect for him and he really enjoys his duck bath time. 

Adventures with Mom

We got on all sorts of adventures together. His favorite thing, though, is the mom jungle gym - using mom to climb. See my "haaalp me" photo? That's everyday. #momlife. 

It was a great month even if we had to go through our first cold together - yuck! And officially starting to see teeth. Caleb is such a good natured and happy little guy and is the light of our lifes!

Caleb's 8 Month Update

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August has been a big month not just for Caleb, but the family. At the very start of the month, we moved into a new home in a new town. Caleb has been adjusting to his new room and routine, but is also adjusting to all sorts of developmental changes. He's trying to crawl (he's got the speed army crawl thing down), standing with help, babbling conversions, and being increasingly curious and explorative. Not to mention, I think he's just getting cuter every day. I know, I know...cliche here...but it's going so fast! 

It's getting extremely tough to get him to hold still for any sort of photograph. The colorful toy seemed to help for these photos. He's definitely teething, so there's that, too. And look at him sitting by himself. Oooohhh man, growing up!

These faces...I just die. I like the second one there - like he's saying "'sup mom!" 

Here's a look back at what he's been up to this past month - going from 7 to 8 months.

Playtime

It's a job to keep this little guy entertained. He's so cute, though, when he's having a good time - lots of giggles and smiles. We found he likes laces, pillows, Tupperware, balls, shoes - anything he can get his hands (and mouth) onto. 

Family Time

He just loves his family time. Such a happy little fellow. Even Asha loves the little guy. She'll look at me and sit at the door if he cries at the end of a nap, or just curl up by the crib when we're in his room playing. 

Skillz

He's developing in so many ways - it's amazing to watch! He can stand holding on to the chair or me for a good while, army crawls all around (and gates have gone up to keep him from wandering the house!), gets on all fours and rocks and lunges, sits, and babbles. 

Food

He's not just a little kitchen "helper," but trying out new foods. I discovered he seems to enjoy store bought food more than my homemade food - haha, classic baby move. I even made him baby muffins and French Toast (although we believe he has an egg yolk sensitively right now - you don't want to know how we know). It's fun to see his face as he tries new things. 

Exploring

Mom and Caleb get out during the week to keep busy. We've explored a lot of Tacoma together. He's a little trooper. 

Smiles and Such

See that fist bump? He thinks it's hilarious if you do a fist bump and explode (is that how you say it? I'm not that hip). He also thinks mom is a jungle gym and think it's great fun to climb her legs. And the grass...well, that's just interesting stuff!

What a ride it's been! Can't wait for what's next with this little guy. :)

Caleb's 7 Month Update

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Life has been busy. Like really busy. Busy and fast. In fact, it's going so busy and so fast that Caleb's 7 month birthday was on 8/2 and I still haven't posted anything. Never fear, though, here it is! 

As always, let's start with all the blocks and stickers that indicate his age...

Next up, his 7 month photoshoot. I took the pictures in our new backyard. More on that later because right now the focus is Caleb, but yes we moved and we have a lovely backyard. Caleb loves the outdoors! I think his facial expressions are the best and you can really see his personality starting to shine through.

He has been a busy guy learning all sorts of things. Here's a look back at what he's learned and developed during the past month.

Smiles are the best and there is no shortage of them with Caleb. He's a happy, smiling little guy. I can be tired or upset and he'll give me one of his dashing smiles and everything is alright in the world again. They are pretty contagious, too. 

Here's so other expressions I just love. He has the curious look, the focused look, and the cute sleepy face look. It cracks me up because he loves to pull the mesh down on the crib and peer out. He must have major FOMO, not to mention Mr. Curious. 

Do you see that crying photo? Yea, that was a tough day. It was his 6 month check-up and he got shots. Shots are no good for him or for mama. I had to take the photo to because #momlife can be hard.

Also, he just loves Asha and she's pretty patient with him (read more about it). It's so sweet and helpful when he cries because just showing him Asha makes him stop. 

And...those eyes. They make my heart melt. 

I think his favorite activity is spending time with mom and dad. I will take it all in right now because in about 15 years this won't be the case.

He was helpful in packing as well. (Check out the tips I have for moving with a baby)

Grandma and Grandpa O'Neill came up to help us move. He loves them so much and they love him.

I couldn't resist sharing some more photos - just too cute. I love the concentration and determination in his face on the top right photo - he's going after the ball in that one. The bottom right has him looking up into the sky at then plane flying overhead. 

I can't even remember life without this little pumpkin! What a ride it's been so far. 

Vote for Caleb

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Vote for Caleb! 

Saying that makes me think of "Vote for Pedro" in Napoleon Dynamite. Remember that movie? Do you realize that movie was released back in 2004? Ah, I'm getting old! But that movie was quite the hit when it came out, and there are a few good quotes from it. "Vote for Pedro" was probably the most popular.

Pedro: Do you think people will vote for me?
Napoleon Dynamite: Heck yes! I'd vote for you.
Pedro: Like what are my skills?
Napoleon Dynamite: Well, you have a sweet bike. And you're really good at hooking up with chicks. Plus you're like the only guy at school who has a mustache.

But I digress...I'm asking you to vote for Caleb. I entered a photo of him in the Minted Baby Photo Contest. I think he's the cutest and would be honored if you considered voting for him, too! Here's the link to his entry:

http://bit.ly/29U7PDi

I had a really hard time deciding which photo to enter. I could have even entered a photo that our photographer took for his newborn photos. Ultimately, I decided on this one because it I wanted to submit one of my own photos (even though our photographer is the best and her's are probably way more professional). Also, this one seemed a bit different than the majority of the other baby photos submitted. And how can you resist this smile of his? 

My mom submitted a photo of me in a grocery store baby photo contest and I won! I should get her to make it digital and I share it with you. Hopefully I can have the same story for little guy...we'll see. :) 

 

 

 

Caleb's 6 Month Update

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Caleb is another month older! He's officially half a year old now - that's crazy talk! 

He's really turning into quite the character and we love him dearly. In fact, I love him more than the day he was born - the love just keeps growing and growing (as does the photo taking). Yet again, I have a bazillion photos to share. 

6 Month Photoshoot

I try to do a monthly "photoshoot" to capture him with the blocks, Max the Raccoon, and the stickers.

What He Did This Month

You might recall I started to write down things Caleb learned in the past month. Below shows what he did during his fifth month - from 5/2/16 to 6/2/16 - hence why I have the 5 month photo with it. It's pretty amazing how much he's learned in six months of life! It's the most and wonderful thing to wake up each day and see something new that he can do.

Cuteness Overload

Caleb has the most contagious smile. His smiles and giggles bring such joy. I think he's just the cutest! 

Mad Skillz

Like I said, it's amazing the rate at which they learn and grow. Caleb is picking up some mad skills. He's sitting in his Bumbo now (still working on sitting up on his own). Also, he can blow some mad bubbles. One of his favorites is grabbing his feet. Oh, and those fingers - so great to suck on. He has much more manual dexterity, so he's grabbing at everything. 

Snuggle Monster

He loves to snuggle just like his mama. If you put a blanket near by, he will grab it and just cuddle into it. It's pretty funny, but he rolls around in his crib until he's tight in the corner. Then he sticks butt up in the air. This is how he slept most night. But my all-time favorite, is when he falls asleep in my arms.

Curious Caleb goes on Vacation

We went on our first trip and Caleb was a champ. Read all about it here. He had a lot of firsts on the trip; it was great!

First Foods

Ahh, solids. Just when I think I got the breastfeeding thing down it's time to start solids. He was showing signs of being interested inf food - staring at my key lime dessert and grabbing the pork sandwich. So we tried some sweet potato and banana. The sweet potato we might try again since it might have been too soon. The banana, though, he liked. Solids here we come! 

Active & Activities

He is always on the go - can't. stop. moving. This scares me for when he's able to walk. His favorite activities are the Jump-a-roo and ExerSaucer. He also started going face-forward in the carrier, and LOVES it. He enjoys seeing everything (and grabbing it...poor plants). 

Visitors and Cola

We found some Caleb's Kola. Apparently he's started up a soda company; such an entrepreneur. I kid. But it was fun.

He also got to meet my Aunt Ann & Uncle Mike. I think his smiles won them over. 

There you have it. Another month gone by, and a bigger and more curious Caleb. 

 

 

Curious Caleb goes on Vacation

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Last weekend Caleb had a few firsts. It was his first...

  • Flight
  • Time in California
  • Night away from his own crib
  • Earthquake
  • Stay at a hotel
  • Going to the beach (California style)
  • At a Wedding

With all these firsts in just four days, it's a good thing Caleb is a curious little fellow. He's our little traveler and did such a great job. I was super nervous about the flight, but he did great. We had a 9am flight down to Orange County (SNA). He feed, slept, and then hung out with me in the carrier in the back of the plane with the flight attendants. 

For our return flight, we tried a night flight. He did just what we had hoped: slept the whole flight. Although I felt bad because we had to move him around a bit once landed and home, but he was a trooper. The only problem was then Josh and I didn't get to sleep until about 1am, so we were pretty pooped. 

Sadly, Alaska didn't have any wing stickers, but Caleb definitely earned his wings!

Our trip started at my parents house. We decided to head to Moonlight Beach and take a walk. Caleb had his first California beach experience.  He kept looking all around and I think he was amazed at the vast ocean. His eyes were like the color of the water - I love his eyes so sparkly and blue. 

We also went to lunch and enjoyed the gardens at Stone Brewery. It was so relaxing to sit outside while Caleb napped. It was beautiful outside and I enjoyed some time with my mom while my sister, her boyfriend, and Josh went on a brewery tour. 

By the way, look at Caleb reaching for my sandwich! The pork thief...he wishes, but maybe someday soon he can have some delicious pork. 

Did I mention there was an earthquake? Yup, our first night in Cali and there was an earthquake - a 5.2 quake. My mind immediately went to Caleb and get to safety. It's funny how a baby changes you...my mind went straight to his safety! Luckily, it was not a big one so it was over by the time I was up and going for Caleb. Caleb slept right through it!   

One of the big events of the weekend was our friend Heather Richardson's wedding. It was a beautiful reception at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. We brought Caleb along so he attended his first wedding. Pat, the mother of the bride, announced him as the youngest guest at the end of her toast. He got a round of applause! 

His little outfit was the cutest! We got it from Etsy and it fit him perfectly. Isn't he just the little gentlemen? So dapper in his bowtie! 

Mom and dad got dressed up, too. 

After a few days with the O'Neill family, we headed up to the OC to spend time with the Brown family. Caleb got to spend his first night in a hotel. The hotel had a crib, so we were all set. Caleb loved rolling around on the big bed - it was adorable. 

While in Orange County, we had the chance to see some Brown family friends. We enjoyed lunch with Sy and Mary Ellen at the Sherman Library and Gardens. So beautiful there! 

Caleb was impressed with all the flowers and plants. Look at the picture with his eyes so wide open in wonder. He also liked to reach out and grab the plants. 

We saw Carolyn and Rich for dinner as well. It's so great to see good family friends!

We also got to spend some time just chilling with both families, too. 

It was a wonderful trip and so awesome to see Caleb get to do some more "firsts" in his life. We're so lucky to have a pretty easy-going, happy baby. Hopefully we get to take many more trips together. 

And cheers to many more "first's for the little guy!

Caleb's 5 Month Update - Favorites

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I warned you in my other post that I was planning on posting more photos for Caleb's 5 month birthday, so don't act all surprised here. I'm just one proud mama that feels the need to share copious amounts of photos of my little guy. 

Family Time

Nothing beats seeing his face light up and see him waves his arms out when you enter the room. It warms my heart to see him get all excited when dad walks in the door from work. This month Grandma Nada & Grandpa Don visited, which as so wonderful.

A Few Favorites

I just can't get over his smile. He's such a happy little guy (most of the time, that is). I still love to look at him when he sleeps; it's so peaceful and sweet.  

Favorite Toys

Here are some of Caleb's favorite toys. Not pictured: My hair and dad's beard, which are maybe his favorite "toys" - eh hem. 

Friends

We love hanging with other mamas & babies. Sometimes we hang at each others homes, sometimes its a walk, and sometimes we go on adventures like to the Museum of Flight (pictured below).

And Just Because

Can you guess who gave him the red polo and tan pants outfit? Yup, Grandpa John. 

He just keeps growing and growing. Craziness. 

Caleb's 5 Month Update

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I'm going to sound like a broken record here...but really, it's already five months. This has been the fastest five months of my entire life. All of a sudden it's June and summer. It's crazy talk. Nonetheless, time has gone by and Caleb is already five months old. Ahhhhh! 

I know I'm slightly biased, but I think he's the cutest little guy. I took some photos today to capture the five month birthday and I think I took over 100 photos. But what's a mama to do? There are so many props to mark his month birthday - there are some with the blocks, the stickers (two kinds), Max the Raccoon, and then he was just being so darn cute (you know, drooling, laughing, wiggling, and begin just plain adorable). 

So I don't to bombard you with photos (who am I kidding, I already have bombarded you). I'm going to save my favorite photos from the past month for my next post. This time you just see today's photoshoot. Sorry I didn't narrow it down. I have a hard time deciding because each one I'm like "awww, he's being so {cute/goofy/etc}."

Hang on...don't stop with just these, though. Keep reading because I have some look backs at the past months in this post as well!

A Quick Look at the Past Months

Here's the 4 Month Update post.

Here's the 3 Month Update post. 

Here's the 2 Month Update post.

Here's the 1 Month Update post. 

xx

Max the Raccoon & Caleb

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I'd like you to meet Max the Raccoon. I think Max is much like Pumpkin the Raccoon - cute, curious, and good tempered - so he's allowed in the house and around Caleb. In fact, he's been Caleb's friend since day 1. I know their friendship will continue over the years (or at least I hope so, Max is a such a cute stuffed animal).

Max was born at Hazel Village. I found out about Hazel Village through a blogger I follow (but for the life of me can't remember which one). I also noticed these cuties on our favorite photographer's site, Kristen Honeycutt. I knew when I had a baby, I would want one as well. 

Max took on a big assignment...to be the buddy to compare Caleb's growth. Max has taken this assignment seriously and has posed in photos for 16 weeks. After 16 weeks, he's agreed to do it for each month's birthday. He's a good sport.

To give you an idea, Max is just about 15 inches long. Caleb was born at 17.5 inches. 

Max also visited Caleb when he was born at the hospital - and helped snuggle the few days we were in the Special Care unit.

And he's just been around for snuggles...and nap time. What a pal! 

And here's Caleb growing next to Max.

It's darling to see how Caleb went from just lying there next to Max to hugging him at the end. It'll be fun to see him grow more! Yikes, it's going so fast. 

Joining the Mom Club

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I feel pretty darn privileged to join the mom's club this year with Caleb's arrival. I had no idea what being a mom would feel like, but it's the best. thing. ever. My heart bursts with the love I have for Caleb. I can't imagine my life without him now. In fact, I can hardly remember not having him. If I am driving around without him (Josh watching him as I run an errand, for instance), I keep looking back in the mirror to check on him. I also have picked up this rocking motion, which I'll do even if I'm not holding him. And you know what, if he splits up or poops on me, I am actually okay with it (ok, so the latter only if I know he's hurting from tummy aches). I just can't believe how the love keeps growing every day.

Even though I feel like the greatest gift is just to be Caleb's mom, I still got treated royally for Mother's Day. (Am I getting mushy enough for you?). My in-laws were in town, so I got to celebrate with my mother-in-law, too. It was a wonderful day! 

It started with a banana muffin and french press coffee (yea, yea...I made the muffins). Then we went to church, which was a big thing on it's own actually. It was the day we did Caleb's Baby Dedication. I'll do a separate post on this later once I have more photos (my father-in-law took them and is going to share them with me soon). So for now I only have this photo with Caleb eating my arm.

After church, we enjoyed brunch at Tilikum Place Cafe. I had the best dutch baby pancakes - savory ones with broccoli, bacon, and Beecher's cheese. Yum! Josh was a good Dad and took Caleb out at the beginning when Caleb was crying/fussy. He got Caleb to fall asleep and brought him back inside...and Caleb slept the rest of the meal. Yay! 

While at brunch, we opened gifts. I got a gift certificate for a massage from Josh (oh yea baby! my shoulders/neck are KILLING me from lifting Caleb and the car seat). I got this very cool multi-use nursing cover from my in-laws plus some macarons. Caleb got me a cute t-shirt with a mama elephant with a baby elephant. I just loved all the cards, too.

We made a pit-stop at home and then went shopping at U-Village. I was gifted some cute things from my favorite store, Evereve. Here's us at the mall.

We ended the day with take-out from Tigerly Ox since this mama didn't want to cook. Not to mention, I love Bun. Oh, and I got my super favorite pumpkin cookies for dessert. SO GOOD. This was from a friend who was visiting Eugene and brought them back from Palace Bakery for us...isn't that the nicest! 

I couldn't ask for a better day. I felt so special! And Happy Mother's Day to all my mother friends out there. xoxo

Caleb's 4 Month Update

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Here I go again with my time complex. I just can't get over how fast time is going by. Someone told me that by having a child I just speed up time by at least 2x. I believe it. 

Anyway, are you ready for photo palooza? I must say Caleb is a pretty patient guy with all the photos I take. Although, he is now very interested in my iPhone cover and stops whatever cute thing he is doing to stare or grab at it. Sigh. Sometimes I grab my regular camera now since he doesn't recognize it as much. 

Let's get to it...

Gosh, I have so many ways to show how old he is - blocks, stickers, his friend Max the Raccoon (more on Max soon).

Now that we're at four months old, I think I'm going to stop with thing the weekly photo thing. When I was out and about the other day, another mama told me her baby was 32 weeks the other day. As a mama myself, I keep track of the weeks, but when you get so high up its hard to really know what that number really means. I end up trying to do math in my head - "well, if I divide that by four, I'll roughly get somewhere near how many months that baby is" - but who wants to do that. So, I think I'll just do months from here on out...

Over the past four months, here's what we picked up on Caleb's personality / life...

He is a Curious Guy

He gets this little mischievous look that is the cutest. Lately he loves to poke is head out from the Ergo carrier to look at the world. He's interested in leaves, lights, faces...it's all new and he's totally curious about it.  

He's very Playful

It's amazing how much more alert he is now. He loves playtime. We have a activity matt and he just rolls around on it and grabs at the toys. He is also starting to teeth a bit so anything and everything goes into his mouth. Oh, and he's ticklish! I love to be the Kiss Monster and I kiss his belly and sides and he just laughs so much...I love it! 

Our little Snuggler

He loves snuggling. This he gets from his mama. We're snugglers. Wrap us up in a blanket and we're happy.

Enjoys the Outdoors

Now he's more curious and alert, the outdoors are fun! Here's something you non-baby friends should know: when you have a baby, you'll suddenly go on many, many more walks. I would like to thank Seattle for the sunny weather and less rainy spring this year. 

Cute as a Button

When Caleb was born, I saying he was a little button. The nickname has stuck: button. We think he's just cute as a button (yes, buttons are cute).

Already Making Friends

With PEPS and some other mama friends I've made, Caleb has some good baby friends. Oh, and Asha is a friend too. She likes to give him kisses in the face and his feet. 

There you have it. Four months. A quarter of a year. Ah, crazy! I love this guy so much!

Insta-Caleb

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I know I've said it before, but I really can't help myself. I take photos of Caleb everyday. My photo stream on my devices (phone/laptop) is exploding. But I ask you this: how can you not take photos of this little guy? 

I want to capture everything - his smiles, his feet, his laughs, even his cries. I know in a few years I'm going to want to look back at these magical moments. Heck, I'm already looking back at his newborn photos. I'm sappy like that. I now cry at Hallmark commercials...okay, it hasn't gotten that far...yet. 

Rather than letting the photos sit on my computer to be seen only by me, I have been sharing many of them on Instagram. Correction: I have been sharing a LOT of them on Instagram. I want to be sensitive to my Instagram followers and not post too many, but it's really all I take photos of these days. #sorrynotsorry. But before you stop following me, hear me out. I have a purpose for all this baby posting (besides the memories I just mentioned). I want to make a book at the end of the year. Yup, you can do that. I am probably going to use either Blurb or Artifact Uprising. They both have tools to make Instagram books. I think this will be pretty cool to have to remember our first year with Caleb. 

So please bear with me and all the Caleb photos, or if this sounds exciting to you to see then start following me on Instagram. Below is just a snapshot of my Instagram photo stream. Yup, 6 out of 9 photos are Caleb. ;) I hope you find the photos cute at least! 

8 Perfect Days: Babymoon - St. Augustine

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I've told you about Charleston and Savannah, so let me wrap up our babymoon adventure with our final stop: St. Augustine.

We took the A1A Highway down from Savannah, which was longer but more scenic. It was a beautiful drive. We saw the landscape slowly change to a more beachy feel.

We thought St. Augustine had a distinct feel than that of Savannah & Charleston. For instance, it was definitely a more tropical climate. Also, as far as the history goes, Charleston and Savannah had the history integrated into the town, but St. Augustine was more preserved and really honed in on the "we're the oldest city" tourism thing. We still enjoyed it, but if you twisted my arm and forced me to list the cities in order of how much we liked them, I would have to say: Savannah, Charleston, and then St. Augustine. We're glad we went and did enjoy our time there. Let me share...

What we Did

  • Castillo de San Marcos - Being history buffs, we both enjoyed touring the fort and learning it's story. Apparently, it's the oldest fort in the US (also of note: St. Augustine touts itself as the oldest US city as well). I found all the various occupants of the fort/town interesting - first it was the Spanish, then the British came along. Then Spanish returned and then ultimately the Americans settled. Visiting this helped us learn about the city's past and I would recommend a stop when in town.
  • St. George Street - This is the main street in town with stores, restaurants, and some historic sites. It's a nice stroll, but it has some hokey shops so we didn't really buy anything along the way. 
  • Aviles Street - This is the artsy street in town with galleries and shops. It also says it's the oldest street in the US. We walked along this street in the morning, and I enjoyed the quaintness of it. 
  • St Augustine Distillery - Yes, I know, this is a odd (almost cruel, in my opinion) place for a pregnant lady to go but we enjoyed our visit. We got a nice tour - learning about how they make their spirits and also how it went from an ice manufacturing plant to a distillery. At the end of the tour, they did a tasting of some of their spirits (I smelled them). Funny enough, this was our favorite activity in St. Augustine. 

Where we Ate

  • Catch 27 - We really enjoyed our dinner here - it was chill and fresh. I would highly suggest going here if you visit. I had the rustic flounder and Josh had their fish tacos. We finished it off with a yummy key lime pie.
  • Kookaburra Coffee - OMG, I loved this coffee. I had never heard of an Aussie coffeeshop, but that's what it is and they got me hooked on the pumpkin & honey badger lattes (yes, we went more than once). I might return to St. Augustine just for their lattes.
  • The Floridita - Oh sad, Yelp is saying this place has closed. We really enjoyed it, so that's a big bummer. We had a pleasant lunch on the patio before we left (and ended our trip, tear). Check my instagram photo! 
  • The Bunnery - We had breakfast here and honestly it was alright - nothing to write home about. We got the green chili burrito & egg sandwich, which I where I think we went wrong. I think the thing to get here is the baked goods. Next time, I would totally get something like a biscuit or some pancakes. 
  • The Hyppo - These were perfect on a hot, tropical day. They had some unusual and delicious flavored popsicles. Of course, I got the pumpkin pie flavor (it was October...it makes sense). 

Where we Stayed

This was the only stop on our trip where we didn't use AirBnB. We just couldn't find a good and affordable place on it. Instead we stayed at a traditional hotel - crazy talk, I know. The Casa Monica Hotel was very pretty and fit St. Augustine perfectly. It was very grand feeling and nicely located in the center of town - we could walk everywhere! It was a nice place to say and put our feet up at the end of the day.

And that was our final stop on our babymoon. This was such a memorable trip for us. We often reflect back on it now. And although babymoons sound trendy and silly, I would totally recommend couples take a trip (even if it's a short, nearby trip) before their first kiddo. It was so necessary to have this quality time with Josh before Caleb arrived - and I suggest this even more now that Caleb is here. 

Sigh, good times, good memories...

Caleb's 3 Month Update

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Snap...that's how quickly these first three months have gone - just a snap of the fingers. It's been such an awesome three months and it's incredible how much Caleb has grown and developed.

The growth is unreal. It's been so cool to see him grow and grow. 

You know I love taking photos, so I tried to narrow some down a bit. Here's a look at the last three months...

Spending time with mama and papa.

Caleb is developing so much!

We see him sticking out his tongue (he'll mimic you if you stick your tongue at him, too), Lifts his feet into the area, sucking his fist, getting some good head lift and control, trying really hard to roll over form back to tummy (we got the tummy to back roll down, though!), and grabbing everything.

Hanging with Friends.

We've been going on lots of fun walks with other mama and baby friends. Luckily the Seattle weather has been pretty good lately, too! We also joined PEPS (a new parent's support group) and Caleb has met a bunch of there baby friends.

Being Goofy!

Look at Caleb do the superman core exercise pose! He also likes to chill next to mama as she's on her computer in the morning.

Smiles and Giggles!

Yup, he laughs out loud now. He also coos and gurgles in conversation. But nothing melts my heart as much as his smile. 

And now we move towards 4 months - ahhhhh!

P.S. I post a lot of photos on Instagram. If you want to see him more, follow me - I'm hjoneill. 

Spring Visitors

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Now that Caleb is here, I think my parents will be visiting more often - yay! My mom got a Seattle raincoat so she's all set. If it comes between rain vs. Caleb, Caleb wins. Those San Diegans, I tell you (ha, I say that like I wasn't born & raised there - shh don't tell anyone). 

It's amazing how much he's grown since my parent's first visited Caleb. Back then he was 3 weeks. This time around he was 10 weeks. The difference is crazy! He pretty much doubled in size and was totally more aware and alert. So for this visit, we got to get out and about much more. 

This time Aunt Lindsay came along as well, so we had the whole O'Neill family together. Here's all of us...

I love spring especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. We enjoyed the cherry blossoms at University of Washington. Apparently, it's a thing here to go to the UW quad and see the trees. I was my first time going since moving to Seattle, and it didn't disappoint. They grow all over Seattle, but when there are a bunch of them together it so pretty. I think the O'Neill clan enjoyed the flowers, too.

Of course, we took some photos of ourselves with the cherry blossoms. We didn't want to take Caleb out of his car seat/stroller as it was pretty chilly outside. My sister kindly held a flower up to the seat, though, so we got a photo of him with the flowers.

We also went down to Georgetown and took a Taste & Tour at Fran's Chocolates. They first took us in the back where we got to see all the chocolate in the making. They were hard at work with Easter chocolates. We even got to see Fran herself in action (see the lady in the black jacket below, that's Fran). My favorite was watching the lady make the chocolate eggs. She hand designed each egg, which is amazing. Check out my video of her pouring the chocolate and making the design. Then they did a little tasting of 5-6 different chocolates. Needless to say, we weren't too hungry for lunch afterwards. 

Of course there was a rainy day and we had to go indoors. We headed over to Mohai to learn about the history of Seattle. There was also a hip hop special exhibit. 

There was some good eats, too. We enjoyed some tasty meals at Little Water Cantina, Giddy up, and Cascina Spinasse (one of my favs!).

Good fun, good food, good family. Life is good! 

A Onesie - Then and Now

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I took some photos of Caleb today - ok, I admit, that's everyday. But today I got to put him in short sleeves since it's so sunny and (somewhat) warm today. I picked the "Heart in Seattle" onesie. Remember it? Yup, the very one we used to announce the pregnancy. 

It's so crazy to think back to the onesie before we knew Caleb. Oh sure, I knew a baby was on the way, and it was real (to a certain extent), but now it's very, very real...he's wearing it!

I was talking to another mama this morning, and we were saying how weird it is to think back to being pregnant and the little baby in front of us was the little being kicking and making all the fussy. Now, they are here in front of us. Blows my mind!

Well, that's all I wanted to share. Just so neat to see him finally wearing the onesie we bought last year.