Crying it out...

For all of you mom's who have successfully let your baby cry it out, I commend you.  It is hard!!  I've had people telling me for weeks that I needed to let Calvin cry it out, learn to soothe himself, and hopefully start sleeping better through the night.  I honestly didn't mind getting up with him and rocking him in the night.  In fact, rocking him to sleep is pretty much my favorite thing to do.  But I knew it couldn't last forever.  And it didn't.  After a particularly difficult night of getting Calvin to sleep, I decided it was time, and we've been working on it all week.  It started out pretty well, but we're on day five and it's gone down hill a little.  We've had some really easy times and a few great nights, which is encouraging.  But it is SOOOO hard to listen to my baby screaming!! 

I know, I know, it will be worth it, but it's still hard! 

So when you think of it, pray for us!! 

My Boys...

I just love saying that!!  One of the many blessings of having a little boy is getting to describe my family as "my boys"...it's so sweet! 

BBQ Buddies :) 

This is what happens when dad is in charge of getting Calvin dressed...I love the look on Calvin's face!

I just love watching my hubby fall more and more in love with Calvin, and imagining them becoming pals. I can totally picture Calvin trotting all over the house following dad everywhere he goes.  There is already a great joy that comes over Calvin the second he sees daddy, or when daddy walks in the door from work.  I forget how blessed I am to be with him all day long, seeing his smiles, hearing his giggles, and watching him learn.  As frustrating as some days can get, I feel so blessed to get to be the one who stays home with this little dude.  He is growing so fast!! 

Seven Months!!

AHHHH!! I'm Seven Months Old!!

Can you believe this little goof ball is seven months old already??  I can hardly believe how quickly time has flown by!  It is a joy to be this boy's mother.  Jake and I have learned so much about being parents, depending on God, depending on each other, and how to just roll with what life brings us.  But really, it is SO MUCH FUN!!  I feel beyond blessed to be able to be at home with Calvin every day.  If I had to go to work, even part-time, I'm pretty sure I would cry every time I left him.  I don't want to miss a thing!  I love watching him learn things, making him laugh, comforting him when he cries and trying to capture his crazy moments on camera :) 

What a sweetie!  I bought this sweatshirt the day we had the ultrasound telling us we were having a boy!

Here are a few random things we've learned about Calvin in his first seven months:

• His two favorite people are mom and dad, but he will smile at anyone who is willing to look at him. 
• He won't fall asleep unless he is swaddled and loves to bury his face into the bumper in his crib.
• He would probably rather chew on a shoe, chair leg, or DVD case than any baby toy we've given him.
• His favorite things to play with are drawstrings...on your sweatshirt, sweats, anywhere. 
• He loves all vegetables and can't wait to get his hands on more food!
• He behaves far better when we are out and there are other people to impress, which is a blessing. 
• He is so close to crawling, and gets easily frustrated that he can't get exactly where he wants to go. 
• And most importantly...we love him to bits, are so grateful to be the ones God chose to care for him, and can't wait for the joys and challenges of all the stages to come. 

Star Wars Nerds!!

We took a little family field trip down to the Pacific Science Center to see the Star Wars exhibit.  It was pretty cool, full of costumes and puppets from the movie and model space ships that were used in filming.  It was pretty funny, too, to watch a whole bunch of dads drooling over all the stuff, trying to get their kids excited, most of whom had never even seen the movies!  It was one of the first all day outings we had taken Calvin where we were literally "out" all day, not going to someone's house, or spending time with family.  He did great!!  It was the first time we had him in his stroller without the infant carseat, so he got to enjoy looking around, like the big boy that he already is :) 

We also had fun exploring the dinosaur exhibits, butterfly house, and all the other fun stuff there is to do at the science center.  It had been years since Jake or I had been down there, so it was a great day! 



And it wouldn't be a trip to Seattle without going to Top Pot Donuts...one of my favorites :) 

It was a great family day and we can't wait until our next adventure!!

I'm pretty sure...

...I have the cutest, friendliest, sweetest, goofiest little boy in the entire world!! 

How could you not smile at this face? 

I love him!!

I LOVE the ocean!!

We had the chance to get away for a long weekend and take Calvin on his first road trip!  We headed down to Grayland, on the southern Washington coast, to a family cabin with my cousins and their kiddos.  Calvin did great...thankfully, he seems to be an easy traveler! 

I LOVE THE OCEAN!!  It didn't matter that it was freezing cold the entire time.  The sand and the sound of the waves crashing is magical!  Pure bliss :)  And when we weren't at the beach, we had a blast at the cabin with my cousins playing tons of card games, Settlers of Catan, and eating way too much food...including some freshly dug razor clams that the boys caught.  A fabulous trip!!

So happy to be at the beach!!



Out of the Woods??

It has been a long couple of weeks for our little family, but it's looking like we are out of the woods!  We have experienced our first true illness with our sweet boy.  The day after we came home from a great road trip to the coast, he spiked a fever of 102, which lasted a couple days, then were followed by about a week of discomfort, fussing, crying, lack of sleep...many of you have been there.  And then, I got to experience "sick mama" syndrome.  I think there is maybe one time I can remember my mom being sick growing up.  And that's not because she was never sick...it's because the world doesn't stop when moms are sick, like they do when you're a kid.  Baby still needs to be cared for, dishes done, dinner cooked, bathroom cleaned.  I know, I know, sob, sob.  All you moms of many have plenty of sick mama stories, I'm sure.  But it was a first for me, and I am grateful it is nearing an end. 

A couple of sickies :(

One good thing about a sick baby...they are snuggly!!  I can't say I minded having to put things on hold for a couple days and just snuggle with my boy.  A small blessing amidst the ugliness of being sick. 

This is the face of a (mostly) healthy boy!!