Goodbyes and Hellos

This past month brought two big events as we said "Goodbye" to David for his first two week trip since Caleb was 7 weeks old and "Hello" to my parents for a two week visit (woo-hoo!).We were blessed to have one week all together, which was when David and I squished in some important appointments and our lovely anniversary celebration in DC. We were able to make a few memories, but it was a rushed and busy time preparing for David's trip.

Finally the dreaded day arrived. After church on mother's day, David ate a rushed lunch, gave hugs and kisses, and left for the airport. I had no idea how Caleb was going to react to his most adored playmate being gone for an extended period of time, but I was thankful my parents would be with us the first week to ease the transition.

The first 2-3 days were definitely the hardest on him, especially in the mornings and evenings. He'd often ask me, "Daddy? Daddy?" tearfully. It broke my heart. Then, David and I got into a rhythm of skyping each morning before he went to work. Due to a time difference, this required David waking up at an insanely early time to pull off, but it made all the difference to our little guy.

Instead of asking "Daddy? Daddy?" in distress, he'd simply say, "Daddy?" calmly. I'd reply, "Daddy's at work." to which he'd always reply, "Mama?" and I'd say, "Mama's right here." and then he'd smile, giggle a little and move on. This ritual seemed to comfort him and continued both weeks.

As the first week progressed, I became a pro at finding ways to make him feel connected to daddy. I'd give him kisses from daddy, look at daddy in the photo album, build a model of daddy out of playdough (don't laugh, the kid loves it!). Caleb learned to blow kisses to daddy through skype and one night, he was even able to stay up late enough for daddy to read him his bedtime story!

This was the photo in his album Caleb chose to fixate on most often during the week. One night he didn't take his eyes off of it during his entire bedtime story.

Dressing up as daddy was a big hit!

 Despite the challenges of David being gone, my parents and I were finally able to slow down and savor a wonderful week playing outside, visiting a local greenhouse, going to the park, and just spending time together.

 Fun Times with Grandpa and Granny 

He's so excited to be hanging out with Granny and Grandpa!

Grandpa was his special buddy

Relaxing in the backyard

Field trip to the greenhouse.

They take gardening seriously up here. Those beautiful baskets line downtown from spring to early fall and I love it!

Checking out the tadpoles and fish. Caleb's favorite part!

Fun at the park!

Getting a free ride from Granny during toddler time at the roller rink

Mom and I even got a girls night out thanks to Dad babysitting!

On Saturday the 19th, I drove Mom and Dad to a nearby town to catch a shuttle to the airport. It was hard to see them go. I don't think Caleb really understood they were leaving until I put him back in the carseat and Granny and Grandpa didn't reappear. He had a few minutes of hard crying, but luckily my sweet friend Julie who lives nearby (and was many days overdue for welcoming her newest addition) had toys waiting to distract him. We had a great play date and she got to meet her adorable little man the next afternoon!

After that hurdle, the week flowed pretty smoothly. We had three rainy days in a row so we went to the library and the skating rink to burn energy and avoid cabin fever. Friends met up with us and came over for dinner. One friend slept with her phone beside her bed as our "on-call" person all week should an emergency arise. Other friends reminded me to call if we need anything, and I knew they meant it. Our neighbor let me hang out in their back yard while my son mooched animal crackers ; ) I don't think I will ever get over how incredibly blessed I feel to have so many supportive people in our lives.

On Thursday we got a very special piece of mail- Daddy sent us a post card! I told Caleb it was from his daddy and he ran all around with it and cried when I hung in on the fridge so I gave him a piece of tape and let him hang it on his fridge. He seemed satisfied with that solution.

Finally Saturday arrived. I wish I could have somehow captured the joy at that reunion, but photos will have to do!

He hears someone on the stairs and somehow he seems to know who it is...

First sighting of Daddy!!!

Telling him all about it...

He instantly wanted David to play with him

Daddy kisses...

Lead to long Caleb hugs. He latched on and didn't let go for several minutes.

Caleb hugging the special surprise Daddy brought home just for him. We both have fond memories of our dad's bringing us special momentos from a trip and David continued the tradition. 

There were more precious moments, but I didn't capture them on film because it was my turn to get a big hug!

Welcoming 2012

It's hard for me to believe February is here already. I've kind of been in denial that 2012 is underway. Last year we rang in the new year with an at-home date where we talked about our hopes and dreams for our family in 2011. We crafted a family mission statement and my guiding word was "routine". It was all very purposeful and refreshing.

This year, we hung out with family, shared a quick kiss and midnight and then hopped into bed since our toddler would still be up at the crack of dawn the next morning. As soon as we got back to Pennsylvania, we hit the ground running with new commitments like leading our small group on Weds. night, preparing for another 10 hour trip, and (David) teaching Sunday school for 2 weeks. Not to mention taking down Christmas decorations, unpacking and reclaiming order in the house.

So perhaps it's not surprising that January was almost over before I felt like we had a chance to step back and evaluate how last year went and beginning planning for this year. David and I tend to use our long drive to DC for pain clinic appointments as an opportunity to catch up, regroup and plan. Last week, we carved out some time in between preparing our lessons to discuss family life. Here's what we found:

Recaping 2011
Developing a routine with a new baby and a 1000 mile move was no easy task. In fact, when our conversation first began, I thought we had made very little progress at all. However, as David guided my memories back to what life was like in our very first months of parenting, I could see a huge difference. The growth of a family rhythm is like the growth of child, it's something you're immersed in, and it's hard to see without looking waaay back for perspective. It would probably bore you to list all the teeny tiny goals our family reached, but it was so encouraging for me to hear David's perspective on how I've grown as a home manager in the past year.

While we still have much we want to improve upon this year it's nice to have figured out ways to minimize dishes, keep the clutter from completely taking over, cook healthy meals almost every night and still have lots of time to spend with Caleb.

Moving forward in 2012
Although 2012 has had a very busy start, David and I are both so thankful for the way our commitments have forced us to put down our books, turn off the TV and spend concentrated time reading the Bible and praying. I've seen a huge difference in how much I talk to God throughout my day and my attitude towards disappointments and frustrations. Less time spent with entertainment and more time spent with God is definitely a trend we'd like to see continue this year.

Now that I've developed a pretty good routine for keeping the basic household tasks up-to-date (who knew rinsing dishes immediately could be so helpful?) we have 3 major home-related goals this year:

1. Declutter and deep clean the house. As we began to learn last year, a house with fewer things is a house that is easier to enjoy and maintain. We are planning (as in, need to pick dates on the calendar) a room-by-room declutter and deep clean as our spring cleaning this year. I'm dreading the effort required, but know the results will be worth it!

2. Develop a paper management system. My desk is supposed to be our home management hub. With no system to organize the receipt, bill, file and shred piles though, you can imagine the pile of paper that has resulted. Not to mention all the little stacks of paper shoved in various corners of the house before company comes over...I'm nervous about this goal because it's going to involve building a new habit, which is always a challenge, but I can't wait to not worry if I've misplaced a bill or wonder where a receipt is!

3. Make our home "ours". There are so many decorating projects David and I have had on the back burner because we felt overwhelmed just trying to keep the house clean. Our reward for taking care of these not-so-fun tasks will be to finally get to do some of these long awaited projects.

I can't wait to post before and after pictures : )

Finally, a personal goal of mine is to make David and I's marriage my biggest priority after my relationship with Christ. I must confess that all too often, we put our time together and cultivating our friendship behind other obligations. Interestingly, the focus on cleaning our home is a big part of that goal because David especially needs the peace and calm of organization to relax. I enjoy it too, but not in the same way. Just as he gives me the gift of long conversations, I want to give him the gift of service this year. Neither comes easily for us, but what could be worth more effort than truly speaking to our spouses heart?

I've never been big on making new year's resolutions, but the start of a new year has become a great time for us to take a step back, assess what worked well last year and what needs some tweaking and plan to live more purposefully with the time we are given. I hope 2012 is off to a great start for each one of you!

Thanksgiving 2011- Part I

This year, my parents graciously allowed us to have an early Thanksgiving with them so we could attend a friend's wedding on the 12th. We avoided a ton of traffic, which was a huge blessing with an active toddler in tow. As a bonus, Uncle Josh also made the trip with us, and Caleb especially enjoyed having him along.

We broke the trip into 2 days, stopping overnight at the Tews. No matter how short our time together is, it's always sweet. The kids had a blast entertaining Caleb.

His adoring fans

After we arrived in Florida, Brian (David's next youngest brother) and his wife, Amy came to pick up Josh. It was Caleb's first time meeting his cousin and our first time getting to snuggle our nephew. It was a wonderful, but brief reunion. We are certainly looking forward to getting more time with them at Christmas!

Meeting his cousin for the first time. So precious.

Family photo time. I love how coordinated our clothes are, considering this was totally spontaneous

Trading babies. Everyone always asks where Caleb got his blond hair and where Zachary got his brown hair. Despite this, we decied not to make the trade permanent ; )

After a night of rest at my parents house, we headed to Tallahassee for the weekend to visit David's Grandfather and our church family in there. Our time in Florida is always so busy, but it was so wonderful to see how friend's children have grown and changed and see them interact with our son. It's still surreal to me that I left less than 3 years ago, a new bride.

Our visit with Grandaddy was a treasure as always. We met at our favorite restaurant, Hopkins, a little deli near Lake Ella. Our time together was brief, but it was so special seeing the two of them interacting, passing Caleb's fire truck back-and-forth across the table. Caleb ate his very first kids meal out, a grilled cheese sandwich. Mommy was too hungry to share!

Visiting with Grandaddy

After an overnight away, we returned to my parents house in the country. Caleb had a blast getting to know all the animals on the farm. In preparation for the trip we'd been working with him on learning to pet dogs and cats gently. Not only did he do a great job with that, he also learned to "call" the animals to himself. After watching David, he began standing still, sticking out his hand and clicking his tongue a few times. Ocelot especially was very willing to come over for a few pets when called.

Caleb taking over Jimbo's bed

Caleb and Ocelot

It was wonderful seeing Caleb interacting with his grandparents. He was definitely spoiled rotten with stories, play ground time and all the attention he could possibly want. By the time we left for our overnight away, I knew he would be totally comfortable being cared for by my parents. He did wonderfully the whole time we were away, but did break down a little when we started packing for PA. We kept reassuring him that he was coming with us this time. I definitely wouldn't leave him often at this age.

Grandpa Snuggles!

Swinging with Grandma

Group photo!

We had a wonderful time celebrating the wedding of Dan and Kristen. David and Dan were room mates in college and I got to know Kristen a little bit during my last year at FSU. Seeing their joy and being there as a couple, were such wonderful reminders to not lose sight of treasuring one another in the fun and busyness of parenthood.

The bride and groom. I love the look on Dan's face!

Weddings are pretty much the only events for which I will go through the hassle of straightening my hair : )

Photo Op with my handsome husband outside the church

Jeff, another one of David's college room mates, dragged me out to the dance floor and David snapped a photo

Unfortunately, the trip also brought Caleb's very first stomach bug, which we were still struggling with on the way back. It was fairly mild, no puking (whew!), but lots of pants changes. Combine that with 16 hours in the car over 2 days with an active-despite-being-sick toddler and we were worn out by the time we reached PA.

However, the time with family and friends was more than worth it and we have yet another "first" that we've survived : ) Stay-tuned for Thanksgiving- Part II, where in I commit to my own big bird and make my very first Thanksgiving meal from start to finish *gulp*!

Caleb: 16 Months

So much has changed since I began this post 2 or 3 weeks ago. While I'm sorely tempted to update all the exciting new things Caleb has started doing in the mean time, I'll save it for the 17 month update. This is such a great age and I feel so blessed to be his mom! Happy belated 16 months little guy : )

The second year of life seems to be 1 part acquiring new skills and 2 parts fine-tuning them. While last month was a huge acquisition month, this month has been lots of practicing those fun new skills. I think I say this every month, but I love watching his personality unfold a little bit more each day. This time in his life seems to be full of big swings between wanting to be fully independent (thank you very much) and wanting the comfort and closeness of mommy and daddy.

Last month, Caleb learned to sign "all done". This month he also added "more" and waves "bye bye". So basically, he has 3 signs to communicate everything he wants (and doesn't want) in the world. No wonder the poor kid gets frustrated. In the high chair, these new signs are great. They've really made feeding time a lot less challenging. When he tries to apply them to other situations however, things get a bit more interesting.

As near as I can figure, "all done" roughly translated means "Stop doing that mommy!". As in, "Stop wiping my nose, changing my diaper, brushing my teeth, etc."

"More" roughly translated means "Do what I want." AS in, "Open that door, take me outside, pick me up again, give me back to daddy, etc."

So far, no creative uses for bye-bye : )

He also has a few more words. Earlier this month, he started picking up random objects (blocks, dirty socks, cheerios, etc.), holding them to his ear and saying "Eh-Ya!" (Hello!) very enthusiastically. Now he's even refined it to, "Ay-Yo". I don't talk on the phone very often so it cracks me up. He is obsessed with our phones though, so maybe he's just paying extra close attention during those times. Our babysitter also taught him "Uh-oh", which he says often, and always very solemnly. We are trying to teach him the difference between "uh-oh" and "on purpose", not that I expect much success in that department at this point in his life!

Here are some of my favorite photos from October:

A Special Visit from Papa and Nana

Reading with Nana

Big grin for Papa

Tickling Papa's toes

Group Photo!

Fall Fun

Besties!

He may or may not be trying to sit on his friend in this one

Mommy getting a "hug"

Multitasking, toddler-style

Pumpkin Patch Fun

I'm finally getting a chance to blog about one of my favorite events of this past month: The pumpkin patch!

I'd been pining to take Caleb to pick out his very first pumpkin ever since a friend posted pictures of her toddler at playing at a local farm's pumpkin patch event a week or two ago.

Last year, we were in the process of moving 1300 miles with a recovering colicky babe who was still waking every hour all night long. Even without the move, I doubt I would have had the mental focus to spell the word "pumpkin" much less think about going to pick one out.

Now that the bliss that is toddlerhood has arrived (year 2 is way more fun than year 1!) I'm feeling much braver about having outings and making memories. Not only that, but we had reinforcements for this field trip! David's dad and stepmom came to stay with us for the week and I was so excited to make them a part of this adventure.

Sunday afternoon looked like the perfect weather for pumpkin picking, sunny with highs in the low 60's. Despite starting the day with a minor scare that caused us to miss church and make a panicked call to the pediatrician (Caleb bit his inner cheek in the night and there were several saucer-sized splotches of blood in his crib) we got everything sorted out and were on our way around 3pm.

I was amazed by the number of people there. Everywhere I looked kids were playing- clamoring over hay bales, crawling through tubes, feeding goats, emerging from corn and grass mazes and playing in the dirt. Not to mention the continuous hayrides dropping families off in the pumpkin patch.

Where I grew up, the pumpkin patch is a big lot (usually a grassy space next to a church) full of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Here in Southern PA farm country, it's literally a field full of pumpkins that have been cut from the vine where they sat growing all summer. Now, based on the number of people there, I have a suspicion that some pumpkins were non-natives, placed in the field by cover of darkness : )

Here's the photo recap of our day:

Hay Maze!

Fun in the Straw

Corn and Grass Mazes. We were not brave enough to try these with a toddler!

Giant Slide with Dad

Tunnel Time

We'd had a cardboard box tunnel set up in our livingroom for about a week before going on this adventure. I doubt he would have been brave enough to try it if he hadn't had some practice before hand. As it was, he went through twice!

Dare I enter?

Dove right in!

Trying to stand up

Finally emerging. Check out how long that tunnel was!

Swing

Of all the fun things to do, the sandbox was still his favorite : )

After sandbox time, we noticed Caleb was starting to get sleepy so we lined up for the hayride to the pumpkin patch.

Group Photo! Poor Caleb just wants to get down and explore the hay bales.

David and Caleb looking astonished at the size of the pumpkins in the field ; )

Time to Pick a Pumpkin

This one?

Or maybe this one...Be different, go with a green pumpkin!

No, the one I can ride is definitely it! (Notice my "this is so cute, I'm going to be a total sucker and buy you this huge pumpkin" face?)

Papa carrying Caleb's pumpkin (I'm not the only sucker in this family!). It weighed in at 37lbs! That would be almost twice Caleb's weight, for those keeping score at home : )

It really was magical to see Caleb going from pumpkin to pumpkin. I didn't expect him to really "pick out" his own, but he was instantly attracted to that one and clamored right on top of it. It was such a beautiful day to spend with family. Afterward, we drove home, put Caleb to bed and drank hot apple cider together. A wonderful ending to a wonderful day.