Spring Fling

Spring certainly is in full swing around here. Last week, with temps in the UPPER 80's, I couldn't help but wonder if we were going to skip over spring all together and head straight to summer. Thankfully, mother nature seems to agree with me that a true spring is in order, especially after skipping winter. And now that spring is officially here, I am in love.

I love the way my home smells of fresh blooms.

I love the way our neighborhood looks with new buds springing forth from the ground..

..and the tips of every tree.

I love the way the warm breeze and Bob Marley put my baby to sleep as we stroll through the city.

I love that my pup can enjoy walks outside that go on for hours on end.

And lastly, I love that spring gives me yet another reason to spend more time with my favorite green goddess.

Let the love affair begin!

(fyi- I know that Cal's car seat straps are not secure but he was only cruising in his stroller thankyouverymuch :)

caLvin

Just in case you forgot his name..

It's Calvin... with an "L".
Photo taken by Cal's incredibly creative Aunt Rebecca. Oh man do we love her!

Piano Man

Mr. Calvin really seems to enjoy music lately. He perks up, quits fussing, and listens intently whenever something is playing. I assure you, it's quite adorable. This past weekend, Cal had his first piano lesson with his very talented Aunt Rebecca. He loved it! He sat on her lap, perfectly sweet and content, as they played together. I think my little man may indeed have a little rhythm in his soul...

1/16

Calvin was all smiles on his first Saint Patrick's Day.

The little guy is a whopping 1/16 Irish so a small celebration was called for. And celebrating is just what we did. We spent the weekend in Jamestown introducing Cal to his cousins and great aunts & uncles. Cal and I were spoiled by all of the sweet Honess girls who threw a shower for us and Cal's newest cousin, Noah. The guys enjoyed plenty of man time outdoors hiking, biking and beer drinking. And the weather? Don't even get me started! It was an all around perfect spring weekend.

Sawyer and Cal spent some cousin bonding time together. (This is what Sawyer did whenever I asked him to put his arm around Cal- sweet guy!!)

Cal fell in love with his Uncle Taylor. The kid could not stop smiling when Taylor entered the room! It was so adorable, and only made Mom a teeny tiny bit jealous.

 I'd dare say a fun weekend was had by all.

Not too shabby for this sweet little 1/16 on his very first Saint Patrick's Day.

A Great Day

How can you not have a great day when this little dude greets you every morning??

The Greats

There is nothing more special than a great-grandparent. 

Over the past few weeks, Cal has been introduced to three of his "Greats". My Grandma and Grandpa Sandee ventured out to Chicago a few weeks ago to spend some time loving on their very first great-grandchild. We had such a nice weekend full of great conversation, a little puzzle and domino action, and lots of baby holding. It was so fun to introduce them to our lives here in Chicago and watch them proudly dote on the newest member of the Sandee gang. My hope for Cal is that he grows to love his family as much as these two do.

The following weekend, Calvin was introduced to another Great when we were home visiting family in Minnesota. Great-Grandma Ruhl or "GG' as the kids call her, was all smiles holding little Cal. It melt my heart to see her smiling at and singing to her youngest great-grandchild. At 87, her short term memory may frequently fail her, but listening to her sing the same songs to Cal that she once sang to me and her own children years ago reminds me of just how much she is still here with us and how young she is at heart. And while she may not be pushing him in a swing outside singing, "How would you like to go up in the sky? Up in the sky so blue... ", the girl sure can sway and rock a baby to sleep just as she has for so many years. Yes, the maternal instinct runs deep. And boy does it bring out the love in her. 

Cal is one lucky boy. He will have no shortage of Great love as he grows to know and learn about his wonderful family.

Baby Got Back

We pulled the trigger. 

Cal's skinny butt is now sporting some pretty fancy cloth diapers, 

which give the illusion that he has some major junk in the trunk.

Cheers to another parenting adventure! 

Month Two

Oh month two, where did you go?! This past month was filled with several visits from family, lots of lunch dates with friends, two birthday parties, a baby shower, a super bowl, two trips to Jakob's school, countless walks around the neighborhood, and so many trips to Target I lost track. I feel like I blinked and the month was over! Calvin is growing into a wide eyed, curious little dude. He is so much fun and I am thoroughly enjoying my time home with him. After a busy, busy February we are currently relaxing in Minnesota. Our first road trip went off without a hitch as Calvin slept the entire way! We are hoping for the same when we head out to New York later this month to introduce Cal to Jakob's extended family. 

And now, Cal's two month update.

2 MONTHS

For your comparison...

1 MONTH

Here's what we have learned about Calvin this past month.

Stats: 

Cal weighed 8 lbs 12 oz at the doctors office last week- growing right on track. He is now 22 inches long- 3 inches longer than when he was born. He officially graduated from all of his newborn clothes last week and is now rocking all of his 0-3 month duds. He wears a size 1 diaper and will be trying out his fancy new cloth diapers later this week- much more to come on that I'm sure!!

  

Eating: 

He is nursing like a champ and eats every 2-3 hours during the day, 4-5 hours at night. He takes one bottle of pumped milk every night before bed which he takes very well. This should come in very handy when Jakob takes over when I go back to work in 3 incredibly short weeks. (Which I cannot even talk about without tears in my eyes. While I'm actually looking forward to going back to work, interacting with adults, and catching up with my lovely coworkers friends, the thought of leaving him all night makes my heart hurt. But I digress..) 

Sleeping:

Oh sleep, such a tricky little game we play. For starters, Calvin sleeps great during the night. He goes to bed late with us and gets up only once during the middle of the night. He typically takes 1 or 2 great naps during the day along with several little cat naps. However, 100% of these naps take place in my arms, a carseat, bouncy seat, swing or baby wrap. They do not take place in a crib, nor do they take place without a bit of a fight. Calvin is very strong willed when it comes to sleep. Let's just say we are working on it and I'm anticipating a wild ride.

Milestones:

Cal has mastered the art of the melt-your-heart smile. He definitely prefers to smile at Dad's voice. Mom really has to work for it. He has much better neck control and is constantly following us around with his eyes. He loves looking at his black on white books and is becoming more and more interested in toys. He recently found his hands and LOVES sucking on them. He's becoming a sloppy, drooly mess lately and may become a full time bib baby before we know it. Seriously, I thought the drool came with teeth- why is it here already?!

That about sums up month two. I'll leave you with his latest and greatest accomplishment- chubby cheeks! So juicy I could eat them!!