When life gets busy, Caleb grows up and is 9 months old!!

9 months old!

This month has been a blur! So much has happened! But in fun news, our sweet Caleb is 9 months old! He is growing up soo fast and we couldn't be prouder! Can't believe he will be one year in just 3 months time! WOW!

Baby Stats

Just a week ago, he was weighed and he was around 18 pounds! He is approximately 28.5 inches long now too! We believe his body type is very similar to his Daddy's growing up. Todd was long and lean growing up and this boy is appearing to be the very same way. He is healthy though and that's most important.

He is growing out of anything 9 months (only has a couple things he can wear that are 9 months), and he is mostly in 12 months or 12-18 month clothes!

He currently eats 5-6 oz of soy formula during the day (every 4 hours), and will eat 7-8 ounces of food twice at night (once before bed, and once around 3-4 AM).

Caleb has been eating more "table" foods that we have like mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, spaghetti, bread, crackers, fruits and vegetables, etc. We have some baby food jars too, but it's been fun and convenient to share our food with him since he can chew it. He seems to prefer whatever we are eating anyways.

He is teething again! He already has 6 as I mentioned, but I envision another two coming very soon (on the bottom). I might be wrong, but that's how it feels.

He still sleeps from about 8-8:30 PM to around 7:30-8:30 AM. He takes less naps (1-2) a day.

Our sweetie talks a lot and says Da Da Da and Ma Ma Ma. He also still say Nna Nna for food. He is trying to tell us stuff all the time, and we let him try.

Caleb shows us lots of love! He has given us kisses and hugs before, but I think he is doing it more and more. Nothing warms the heart more than when he leans in and gives me one of his baby kisses and gives me a hug! My heart just bursts!

We are working with Caleb by pointing to various things/people and emphazing what those things are, like ball, food, bottle, Momma, Dadda, etc.

Caleb does this little noise when he is concentrating hard on something. It sounds like he is sounding out the T sound and whispering it. It's too cute. I love the little quirks our guy has! So fun!

 Caleb crawls a ton and has crawled all over the house! He is climbing on everything (even when we say no). He wants to see everything and doesn't think we should keep him from doing that (even though it's a place he shouldn't climb). He is incredibly mobile and walks around the ottoman with his hand on it so he can get places by being up (not just crawling). I really see him attempting to walk in the next month or so. I won't be surprised if he is walking by his first birthday!

Crawling all over the place!

 

He loves this toy fire truck that pops out balls and moves on its own.

He will crawl after it all over the house!

 

Climbing everything like crazy!

He is such a daredevil! He will climb his rocking chair at my dismay!

Caleb recently had RSV! It's a glorified cold for adults, but can be very bad for little ones and their lungs. Caleb was wheezing and really seemed to work too hard to breathe. So we tried to take him to the Dr, but they were booked. They recommended we take him to Children's Hospital in Dayton. So I took him to the ER, and they were very convinced that he needed to be admitted because his oxygen levels were in the 80 percents. Your breathing should be in the high 90 percents though. So they admitted him and had him wear an oxygen tube that hooked into his nose. They also had him on an IV to ensure enough fluids. I swear, there is nothing scarier than watching your little baby scream and cry because they are so scared and don't understand what is happening to them. I stayed with him overnight, and he was improving quite a bit. Just within a matter of 12-15 hours, he improved greatly! Some kids don't improve as fast, and so we feel thankful that he did. He was released the following day and everyone was really proud of his improvement. Our Caleb is a fighter man! He is so strong! So proud of him!

We were happy to have him home on Valentines Day. We didn't have a very romantic Valentines Day this year, but this year we celebrated with the product of our love - Caleb! He is a sweet, wonderful little boy and we are so thankful for him! Todd and I still gave each other Valentines we made each other (see photos below). Todd wrote me a beautiful love letter. To those who don't know, my husband has been writing me love letters since we met back in 1995! He is so eloquent and so sweet!! I did something a little different and fun!

Valentines Day - Caleb is reading to his new Valentine Bear

from his Valentines Day Curious George book

Todd picked out the most lovely red roses (my fave)

and wrote me a beautiful love letter

The fun and "sweet" card that Caleb and I made Todd!

Todd also had a third surgery the week prior to Caleb getting RSV, as he had a 2nd infection. Turns out he had community based MRSA! YIKES! That's why it didn't go away the first time he had the infection. So during this 3rd surgery, the Dr put in this cement/bead antibiotic mixture into this elbow that stays there releasing the antibiotic medication over the course of 5-6 weeks. He also had an IV during surgery of antibiotics and he is taking two pill forms of antibiotics for the next 5-6 weeks. The Dr. is pretty convinced this should eliminate any return of the infection. When he did the surgery, he also removed the infection by scraping it out. So our prayers every week are to have no sign of any infection because we want to Todd to be able to return to normal operations of his arm as soon as possible. Fortunately even with this splint that he is wearing, he is returning to work this week! So that is going to be helpful to give us some normalization again!

It also looks like this upcoming month, we will be making our first car purchase as a couple! We each brough our own cars to the marriage, but now Todd's car needs replaced. So we are working on finding a reliable used car.

So it's been a very busy month, full of fun and crazy excitement (good and not good). But we ask as we continue this next month, if you would continue to pray that the infection stays away from Todd and that we have wisdom in all of our decisions! Thank you!! Much love!

And I leave you with this precious smile that melts hearts!

As I Lay Here....

As I lay here holding you as you finish eating
Holding my hair tight as you finish your last sip of your bottle
And your Daddy is sleeping to my right
I marvel at how serene and quiet it is at 3 AM
And how the best part of life is here in this bed

Your breath on my face as you fall asleep
I touch your cheek and brush your hair back out of your face
I hear you sigh deep and long
I know you are deep in sleep and happy as can be
I run my hands on your cute little feet. I touch each toe

It's such a perfect moment
I can't help but remember the night you were born
How you would only stop crying when placed on my chest
How you needed my heart beat to calm down
First time in my life I have felt so needed

I think back on our first few nights
and how I was so scared
and I really didn't do a very good job with you
I remember getting so upset since I was so sleep deprived, and
because I didn't know how to handle your crying

But just a few weeks later, you and I were bonding like no other
You and I were having fun together
We went to the park almost every week
and you loved to stare up at the trees and hear the birds
You smiled all the time, and it was all for me!

You still smile at me, when you first wake up
when you see me as I pick you up from the babysitter
You smile at me when I make a funny noise
You smile when I sing to you
or even just when I look at you.

You have a smile that melts hearts everywhere
We go out to dinner and people have to stop by to say "Hi"
Or we are at the grocery store, and people just want to talk to you
Your giggle is the sweetest sound in the world
And it has quite literally made me bawl with pride

I love the curiosity you have as you want to explore everything
Even before you could crawl around the house
You explored everything with your eyes
You have learned so much in so little time
and I am so proud of you, little man!

You continue to amaze me as I stare at you
You are so smart, so strong, and so incredibly special
My heart is insanely full with you in my life
I can't imagine this world without you in it
and no world without you is worth it

You are the sunshine of my life, dear son
I love how proud you are when you learn something new
and how you look at us to make sure we see you
Dear boy, we are proud of you no matter what
Just you being in our lives is enough pride, filling my heart to overflow

I love you, my darling Caleb
I promise it is unconditional and full of hope and promise
and as I sit here holding you as you sleep
as you fall into your precious dreams
I know that my biggest dream was when you came into my world

 ~ S. Taber