Month Twelve

I believe Cal would say month twelve was the best month yet! He has learned how to better communicate his needs to us through words and pointing and is more mobile than ever, freely able to get into whatever his little heart desires. As if that wasn't exciting enough, Calvin got to celebrate Christmas and his birthday only four day apart. New noisy, rideable, pushable, lightable toys everywhere! One year old heaven! 

Here's our big boy and his unofficial birthday portrait...

ONE YEAR

For your comparison...

MONTHS TWELVE, ELEVEN, TEN, NINE...

Wow! How's that for perspective? I could cry. How about you? No tears? Fair enough. 

Here's what we have learned about Cal this month...

Stats:

Weight- 21 pounds 2 ounces (25th percentile)

Length- 30.25 inches (50-75th percentile)

Head- 17.6 inches (10th percentile)

Cal is wearing 12-18 month clothes, size 3 shoes and size 3 diapers (when he's in disposables) 

Eating: 

Mr. Picky is getting pickier every day. He is currently living on applesauce, paper, string cheese, yogurt, scrambled eggs, pomegranate seeds, cardboard, and goldfish crackers. Sounds like a well balanced diet, eh? We continue to put whatever we are eating in from of him but most of the time he will happily sit in his highchair and eat nothing at all. Stubborn to the max. 

He started drinking whole milk and seems to love it when (and ONLY when) he is being pushed around in his stroller. That being said, he drinks milk twice a day when Marshall goes out for his walks. You better believe we are not pushing him around the condo in his stroller to get him to drink milk! He loves water and juice in his sippy cup and continues to nurse when he wakes up in the morning and before bed. I'm not sure how long that will last but his interest in nursing seems to be increasing lately as my interest in the whole production is rapidly declining. It could be an interesting end to the breastfeeding era.

Sleeping:

I must say, I really can't complain about sleep this month. With the exception of his recent cold, he has been sleeping quite well through the night. He goes to bed around 8 and sleeps until 7ish with one solid nap in the morning and one decent nap in the afternoon. It only took a year to get some healthy sleep habits but I am so thankful for the journey- NOT! Did I really just say NOT?! 

Milestones:

Tooth count- 8. Four on the top. Four on the bottom.

Words- He recently added "thank you" to his repertoire of words thanks to Grandma Sali. The quiet "gank gu" is pretty much the cutest thing I have ever heard come from his little mouth. He is attempting to repeat animal sounds but at this point they all sound exactly the same whether it be a pig, cow, or kitten. 

Walking!! Oh the walking! He is so adorably proud of himself. We are so proud of him. He went from 5 wobbly steps to full on walking, turning, and backing-up in the course of a week. Next up- running. I'll wait- very patiently.

Temper tantrums. A new favorite. This includes a series of screams, thrashing around, a little spitting, and concludes when he hits you. It's takes everything I have not to laugh in his face when he sticks out his tongue and slaps my butt when I walk away. I am fully aware that I wont be laughing for long and the real tantrums are coming. For now, I'll think of these fits as an even trade for the sleep wars.

Below are a few photos of Cal showing off his mad "destroy any room in 10 seconds" skills. It's impressive. 

That's it folks, twelve months of Cal updates. My virtual scrapbook of Calvin's first year! I should probably print off the pages and stick them in the baby book that I never filled out past month one.. haha! Thanks for following along!!

Month Eleven

This past month has been Cal's busiest month yet! Month eleven began in Mexico and ended in New York with a trip to Minnesota for Auntie Sarah's shower smashed in between. We were constantly on the go! As for Cal, he was also on the go. Always exploring, always into something. In the spirit of the holidays, he has taken on an attitude that is equal parts naughty and nice. I'd love to say I'm loving this stage of parenting but I'm too tired to find the words.

 ELEVEN MONTHS

For your comparison...

TEN MONTHS

Here's what we have learned about Cal this month..

Stats:

The official 1 year weigh in is coming next month but I would say that he seems to have grown about 3 inches in the last 2 weeks. All of his pants are suddenly too short and we were forced to finally upgrade him from his infant carseat after his legs were hanging over the end of the seat. He is wearing 12-18 month clothes and (when I can actually keep shoes on his feet) a size 2 shoe.

Eating:

What happened to my baby who would eat anything with a smile? I miss him. He has been replaced by a super selective eater who now carefully analyzes his tray and takes his sweet time picking every single pea (or any other vegetable for that matter) out of his dinner before he will take a single bite. Now I know it's common for kids to dislike their veggies but he has also become equally picky about cheese and fruit. Fruit! What kind of kid doesn't like fruit? He's crazy and currently living on scrambled eggs, cereal, and toast. Ugh.

Sleeping:

Naps were getting better for a while and now seem to be hit or miss. Some days he naps very well and goes down without a fuss. Other days, he puts up an epic battle before falling asleep and then takes a ten minute nap. Luckily for everyone else, he seems to nap very well when he is with someone other than me. So unfair. (Says the girl who is currently blogging while her kid takes a nice nap- I'm such a whiner.)

Milestones:

Tooth count: 5. Two on top, three on the bottom. I need to get a good photo of his toothy grin, it's adorable!

I was sure Cal would be walking by 11 months as he has seemed so close for months now. Turns out, he would much rather crawl at the speed of light and is too busy getting into things to walk these days. He is now getting up to standing unassisted in the middle of the room but is too hesitant to take more than a step without help. He loves pushing his car around and slamming it into things- preferably Marshall or my ankles.

He waves "Bye Bye" and will sign "more" and "all done" when he is eating. He is now saying "Mama" and "Dada" and definitely knows what he is saying and looks our way when he calls us out. Marshall is "Ma" followed by an ear piercing squeal. Cal loves to throw toys for Marshall and is so thrilled when Marshall returns the toy to him. Those two could play for hours. Cute. Cute.

Calvin LOVES to look at books lately and even has a few favorites that he will dig through the book pile for.  Reading books feels like such a big kid activity and is just one more reason I am not even going to mention what is about to happen in 17 days!!

Month Ten

I've been putting off this post for weeks and figured I better bite the bullet before the month passes me by and the kid is eleven months old! (Don't you love that each month's post starts with me whining that I'm writing the post too late?! Thank goodness there are only two more of these little Cal updates left. Maybe next year I'll do a quarterly update.. which will undoubtedly be posted in an untimely manner.)

Anyway, month ten was a great month! Cal enjoyed his first flight, we had a blast visiting Taylor and Rebecca in Syracuse, we started getting serious about naps (which forced me to get a little more serious about wine), and ended the month by celebrating Cal's first Halloween.   

Check him out these days..

TEN MONTHS

For your comparison..

NINE MONTHS

Here's what we have learned about Cal this month..

Stats:

According to a scale I stepped on with Cal this morning, he weighs right around 20 pounds. His skinny butt and long legs are starting to outgrow his 12 month clothes. Most days he crawls around in what looks like capri pants. Time for some bigger jeans! We are still going strong with cloth diapers and are thankful that they are growing right along with him.

Eating:

Current favorites include cheese, yogurt and pasta. No joke, at dinner Cal will eat more pasta than I will! Piglet. He has been less and less interested in veggies lately, especially green veggies. I think I'm going to have to get creative and start hiding them in other foods. He is really getting the hang of sippy cups and thinks that juice in a cup is the best thing on earth. He takes a sip and looks at you like he is getting away with murder. Funny guy.

Sleeping:

As you may have read in this post, we have been working hard on getting Cal to take two quality naps every day. It's getting better and better. We have also been trying to put him down for the night a little earlier in hopes that getting a little more sleep will equal a happier day for all. He has an nice bedtime routine that includes a bath, a few books, a bottle/boob, and bed. Since Jakob spends four nights a week alone with Calvin in the evenings while I'm at work, he has become the bedtime pro (although he lacks a little in the boob area!).

Milestones:

The tooth tally is up to four. Both top teeth came in this past month. They popped through with a large gap that is equal parts hilarious and adorable. 

The babbling is really picking up these days. Lots and lots of "Mamamas" and "Dadadadas" and "Brrrrrs" although I must say, he really does look at me and say "Mama" at least once a day. Coincidence? I think not!

As far as motor skills, Cal will stand independently for about 5 seconds and is this close to walking. He loves waking around behind his little car- as you can see here. He will happily walk around with someone's hands but just stands there when you let go. I'm guessing we will have an official walker in the next month or so. I can't believe we are already at this point!! < insert sob >

I'll leave you with the first of many Mexico photos coming your way. This photo shows off another one of Cal's recent favorite things- being naked! It's goes hand in hand with the fact that he absolutely hates having his diaper changed or getting dressed. Sometimes you just have to give in..

Month Nine

Better late than never! I blame our busy month, and this beautiful fall we are having, and the fact that I couldn't stay awake to blog, and so on and so forth. While I may be full of excuses the fact of the matter is our little man is 9 months old already (as has been for 3-ish weeks :)

Month nine was packed with visits from family, a camping adventure, a trip to an apple orchard, some babysitting drama, and a first trip to the zoo! Cal popped a third tooth, gave up his vegetarian lifestyle, and learned to climb stairs. Not too shabby for one month's time.

Here's Mr. Handsome at 9 months..

NINE MONTHS 

For your comparison..

EIGHT MONTHS

 Here's what we have learned about Cal this month..

Stats:

Calvin currently weighs 18 pounds 12 ounces (10th-25th percentile) and is 28 inches long (10th-25th percentile). Jakob and I (and Cal's pediatrician) are thrilled to see him growing right along his little curve, happy and healthy. He is wearing mostly 12 month clothes and just slipped on his first pair of size 2 shoes last week. And while kids in shoes are oh so cute, infant shoes have to be the most annoying thing I have ever dealt with. 

Eating:

What can I say? The kid loves to eat. He pretty much enjoys any and everything these days with the exception of cottage cheese (can't say I blame him- ick!). Some current favorites include chicken, scrambled eggs and wheat toast. He has mastered the art of sucking down applesauce on the go and can spot a "squish pack" of purees from miles away. He LOVES them! He still likes to nurse or take bottles when he wakes up and before each of his naps.

Sleeping:

Not much has changed in the sleeping department this month. He still sleeps through the night but wakes up once or twice for a quick fuss before falling back to sleep on his own. He takes a short nap in the morning and a nap in the afternoon. If he's with me, his afternoon nap is an hour or less. If he's with a sitter or friend, he will easily sleep for 2+ hours. Jealous.

Milestones:

Calvin is crawling everywhere these days. And he crawls FAST! He can seriously crawl faster than I can walk. Does that make me sound pathetic? Oh well. He pulls himself up on anything- couch, chair, dog- and is beginning to cruise from one place to the next with a little help from the furniture. He is starting to steadily walk with our hands but is not standing or walking independently yet. He LOVES standing at the washing machine watching the clothes go round and round. 

As for the dishwasher..

'Nuff said.

And just in case you thought taking these monthly photos was a simple event I present the following outtakes.. 

I think we're done here.

Month Eight

Just as predicted, Calvin is officially crawling around and into EVERYTHING! Month eight was mostly spent hiding the dog's water bowl and frantically baby proofing the condo as Calvin discovered every single outlet/cord/electronic in the house. Fun? Yes! Tiring.. OMG Yes!

In addition to exploring every inch of our home, Cal sprouted his second tooth, had his passport photo taken and became best friends with Marshall. We relaxed and enjoyed a few quiet weekends at home with our little family after a month of busy travelling. I would say that the highlight of month eight was celebrating Cal's dedication with our family and friends- more photos to come! 

Photo time.

Here's the happy chunk this month...

EIGHT MONTHS

For your comparison...

SEVEN MONTHS

Here's what we have learned about Cal this month...

Stats: 

We are really looking forward to Cal's 9 month check-up next month when we get to see how much he has grown. I'm guessing he is in the 18 pound range. These days, he is wearing mostly 9 month clothes and a size 2 diaper when he is in disposables. Such a big boy!

Eating: 

I would like to rename month eight as the Month of the Puff. Following his second tooth, we introduced Cal to the flavorless world of puffs. And surprise, surprise- he loved them! Puffs and pieces of freeze dried fruit are the perfect distraction to an otherwise nonstop day. Cal will happily sit in his highchair for hours minutes on end "mmmm-ing" over his finger foods. As for purees, I can no longer keep track of which foods Calvin has tried. The list is growing daily and he has yet to hate much of anything- besides broccoli. A few recent favorites include avocados and pears. In other news, he now enjoys a sippy cup of water with his meals, just like the big kids. How cute is that?!

Sleeping: 

Cal is now routinely sleeping through the night from 8pm-ish until 7am-ish. It's A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!! As for naps, he typically takes a short nap in his stroller when we are out for our morning walk with Marshall and a longer nap in his crib in the afternoon. I remember whining to our pediatrician at Cal's 6 month appointment that I was frustrated that he would only take random 15 minute naps in swings/strollers/etc. She told us to hang in there and promised that by his 9 month visit he would likely have put himself on his own nap schedule. Right again. 

Milestones:

Razzing. Apparently this is the official term for the constant noise he is making. It's a drooly messy "brrrrr" and he does it all day long. He assumes everyone understands him. And we do. Because we are his parents. And we speak razz.

Crawling. Crawling. Crawling. Now that he has figured out how to crawl forward there is no stopping him! (There was one hilarious week where he would only crawl in reverse.) He is obsessed with Marshall lately and will follow him around around the house much to Marshall's delight. He even started crawling around while carrying toys in his mouth- just like his BFF- hah! He also started pulling himself up on things and was found standing in his crib the other day.. standing! Okay kid, you can slow down now. 

I'm over this photo shoot. Later guys.

Month Seven

I have to be honest, I'm writing this post so late it's hard for me to remember where we were at and what Calvin was doing two weeks ago when he turned seven months old. I suppose I will have to give it my best shot. It's not like anyone is going to tell me I'm incorrect, right?

As you may have noticed, month seven was a crazy, busy, summery blur. A few of the highlights included travelling to Minnesota to visit family, taking Cal to his first baseball game, road-tripping to New York for Jakob's family reunion and 10 year class reunion (I still can't believe we have been out of high school for TEN YEARS!!), introducing Calvin to lots of new foods, and celebrating Cal's very first tooth!

Here's our hungry boy these days...

SEVEN MONTHS

For your comparison...

SIX MONTHS

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

Stats:

We don't have an official weight this month but I can assure you that he has grown. My sore arms tell me so. The days of carrying him around in his carseat have almost come to a close- it's ridiculous how heavy he and that bulky thing is. I'm over it. He is wearing 6-9 month clothes when he is actually clothed. We have been resorting to a lot of diaper only days after an entire month of hundred degree weather.

Eating:

In honor of the Olympics, Cal would like to award a gold medal to nectarines. The silver would go to sweet potatoes with the bronze going to a blend of apples and blueberries. Coming in dead last would be the horrendous broccoli. I think broccoli is something you need to learn to love. So far, nothing but hatred. As for bottles and breastfeeding, he could care less but will consider them when he is sleepy or has nothing better to do.

Sleeping:

Our little belly sleeper sleeps through the night about 50% of the time. The other nights he wakes up around 4am or so to nurse and goes back to sleep until 7 or 8ish when he is up for the day. This new routine has been great for everyone as we can finally organize our nights/mornings now that we have a bit of a "schedule". As per usual, Calvin's naps are still tricky business. I thought babies were supposed to take nice long naps?? Hah! I'd be happy with one solid hour but I think that has only happened twice in the past 7 months. We usually get 20-30 mins naps around here. Lame. 

Milestones:

As I mentioned earlier, Cal sprouted his very first tooth! Lower left central incisor for those dentists out there. (The right one has since come in but that is technically news for next month's post.) He is constantly tonguing and touching his new grill (see photo below) but refuses to let me get a photo of the tiny teeth. Maybe next month. In other news, he is rolling around like a crazy person and is this close to crawling. I'm guessing he will not be sitting no nicely in front of his chalkboard next month. I'm trying to enjoy every last second of my slightly immobile babe knowing full well that these days are limited!

See you in a few short weeks for a (hopefully) timely 8 month post!

Month Six

Six months already! Half way to ONE.. omg omg omg. Our little guy has been so fun lately. His happiest time of day is when he sits on the floor with his dad and shows off all of his favorite toys. The louder, more obnoxious the toy, the better. His current favorite is a small plastic monkey who rolls around atop a wobbly ball (see photo below). The damn monkey giggles, sings, and say "whoa.. weee.. hehehe" in a manner so creepy it haunts me in my sleep. But- he LOVES it so the chatty monkey is here to stay.

This past month was packed with celebrations. Jakob's first Father's Day, my 28th birthday and Cal's half birthday. We spent time with both of our families here in Chicago, had a fun photo shoot with Aunt Rebecca, enjoyed a few dips in the neighborhood pool, and swang on every swing in a 2 mile radius of our home. A great start to the summer I'd say.


Here's the growing boy...

SIX MONTHS

For your comparison...

FIVE MONTHS

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

Stats:

I am happy to announce that he is steadily climbing the growth charts. Weighing in at 16lbs he is now in the 10-25th percentile for weight, 50th percentile for length, and 5-10th percentile for head size. I think his head looks huge for his body so that last one really cracks me up! He is in mostly 6 month clothes these days with the exception of a few outfits. We also needed to adjust the snaps on his cloth diapers one notch to make room for his chunky thighs. I can't believe these will be the same diapers he will fit into when he is 30+ lbs! I have another cloth diaper post to finish (ahem.. start) but I will give you a sneak preview now- we LOVE cloth diapering! I really cannot say enough about how great they are working for us.

Eating:

Calvin loves food. Shocking I know. The guy must take after his parents. So far he has only turned his nose up at peaches. Peaches! Who doesn't love peaches? Such a funny kid. Everything else has been well received. His favorite still seems to be watermelon with bananas in a close second. He seems to be less interested in bottles and breastfeeding (SOB!!) these day but I'm guessing that's a normal thing now that he is enjoying more solids. Thankfully, when he's sleepy (and less easily distracted), he is happy to cuddle up and nurse. I'm hoping this lasts for a while.

Sleeping:

I will sum up this month's biggest accomplishment in a few short sentences. Are you ready for it? Cal is sleeping through the night. THROUGH THE NIGHT!! In HIS CRIB no less! As you can tell by the obnoxious CAPS, we are extremely excited. We are also well rested. Sleepy baby = happy parents. Two weeks ago he randomly decided to stop waking up during the night and he never went back. I love him. As per usual, naps are still a work in progress but I can't say that I really care at this point. He can catnap for the rest of his life if he continues to sleep through the night. I know I will be singing a different tune eventually but I'll take what I can get right now. 

  

Milestones:

Cal now rolls from tummy to back and back to tummy. He can sit unassisted for quite some time (I'm talking 20+ glorious minutes!!) and manages to wiggle himself around pretty darn well. While he doesn't seem quite ready to crawl, he loves pushing himself up and rocking back and forth like it's going to get him somewhere. It's quite cute. He babbles all day long and has started to mumble "mamama" which of course means he is trying to say "I love you so very much MAMA". My baby is a genius I tell ya. And no, he is not trying to say "Marshall". And no, it is not just baby babble. :)

I'll leave you with a photo of the little stud doing his "come on over, baby" move. 

Hope you are enjoying this scorching summer!

Month Five

We have had a great month! Calvin is becoming happier and happier by the minute. Fussy, whiny Cal has been replaced by belly laughing, squealy Cal- a change I could not be any more excited about! He is such a joy these days and is so fun to be around. I love this kid!

We filled our month with a Mother's Day celebration, a visit from Aunt Rebecca, a weekend with each set of grandparents, a few days at the beach, and as always, countless walks around the neighborhood. Here is the smiley guy in all of his happy glory... 

FIVE MONTHS

For your comparison...

FOUR MONTHS

Here are a few of Cal's preferences these days...

Stats:

While he does not have an official weigh-in this month, I would think he is in the 14+ pound range. His round cheeks are growing daily and he is starting to get "rubber band rolls"- a fat baby signature! He continues to wear 3-6 month clothes but will be graduating soon to some bigger duds. The summer calls for roomier clothes!

Eating:

As you may have read, we introduced Cal to solid foods a few weeks ago. So far, he has tried mangoes, carrots, and bananas. Since we are still just giving him food for fun, he tries out solids once or twice a week. Some days he is super interested in it, other days not so much. While he still has no teeth, he seems to be getting closer to teething as the already copious drool is increasing and his love for chewing on EVERYTHING is apparent. He continues to nurse several times a day and takes bottles like a champ whenever nursing is just not enough. When it comes to eating, he couldn't be more easy going. I'm thankful.

Sleeping:

I feel like a good sleeping schedule is always a work in progress around here. Last month, naps were a disaster. This month, as the napping got better (but still limited to short 20 mins naps), he began waking up more and more at night. Apparently, morning starts around 4am in the Ondrey house- we just didn't get the memo. He wakes up happy and ready to play. Since I typically go to bed around 1am after work, 4am is WAY to early to be getting up. We are working on it. He is finally napping in his big crib in his room during the day (as well as his swing/carseat/stroller). We will be working on transitioning him to his crib at night this month. I assure you, this transition will be much harder on me than him but is necessary in everyone getting some good sleep. I'm going to miss the little guy with him sleeping all the way down the long dark hallway.. it seems so far away! Pray for me.

Milestones:

This month has been full of milestones. In the last four weeks Cal has learned to roll from tummy to back, sit with minimal assistance and hold his bottle independently. He seems like such a big boy. He rubs his eyes when he is tired, smiles when he hears people laughing and falls asleep holding his blanket (spare me the SIDS lecture- I take it away after a few minutes :) 

With teething just around the corner, Cal's favorite pastime has been gnawing on frozen baby toys- a refreshing treat on a warm summer day.  Also, check out the last of his "newborn hair".

My sweet little Alfalfa. The rest of his "long" brown hair has fallen out and is has been replaced by some serious blond fuzz. Cutie!!