Can you believe it? Caleb turned 10 weeks old last week. Happy 10 weeks, Baby Boy! (Since my last post was at six weeks, this one covers weeks seven through ten.)
Caleb continues to be a pretty easy baby. He loves his family and is smiling at us all more and more. He’s happiest when Mommy or Daddy is holding him, but is also content to sit and watch his sisters sing and dance. He doesn’t even seem to mind it too much when they get right in his face, which they do on a frequent basis. He’s not quick to cry, but when he does, you know it’s coming because first makes you feel guilty by sticking out his lower lip like this….
Caleb is very “talkative” and we have long conversations on a daily basis. (See below for a photo of him telling me a story during our photo shoot.) He’s very earnest in his “oooos” and “mmmms” and “ungs”. Not sure if “ung” is a normal baby word, but it’s one of his favorite sounds. Probably it means, “feed me”.
And we do feed him, quite regularly, which is probably why he’s such a big boy. He hasn’t been in for his 2 month well child check, so I don’t have any firm stats, but the fact that he’s too big for some of his 3-6 month clothes gives you an idea of how quickly he’s growing.
He continues to be a good sleeper, taking several naps every day and then sleeping for a nice stretch at night. He zonks out around 8pm, gets up between 4 and 5am to eat and then goes back to bed until 6:30 or 7am when he’s awake and ready to get on with the day. It’s still earlier than I like to get moving, but I figure he’s really doing me a favor by prepping me for our upcoming earlier mornings that will have to happen when Alethea heads off to kindergarten in a couple weeks.
These last four weeks included Caleb’s first speed boat ride. Spoiler alert, he LOVED it! Despite the wind in his face and having to wear a life jacket, he only started crying when the boat slowed down. He’s a total motion junkie. He also cries in the car any time we come to a stop sign or stoplight. His car ride preferences seem to be having the radio turned up loud and the faster and curvier the road, the better. I’m actually just a little nervous about the idea of him EVER driving. Especially because the thing he hates more than anything else in the world is being buckled up securely in his car seat. Sigh…
One very special moment these past few weeks was Caleb’s baby dedication at church where Peter and I thanked God for the gift of Caleb’s life and committed to raising him in an environment that exposes him to the Gospel of Christ at every turn. We do feel so blessed to be Caleb’s parents and were glad for the opportunity to publicly dedicate him to the Lord.
One of the reasons we chose the name Caleb was because Caleb in the Bible, the Israelite spy, chose to believe God’s promises rather than give into the fears of the people around him. We pray that our Caleb will always remember to trust God’s word, even when others tell him it’s unreasonable.
Other milestones during this period were Caleb’s first time laughing (which is a sweet, sweet sound). His neck and head control continue to improve and he’s starting to reach for things and to play with his hands when he doesn’t have anything else to grasp at. The girls love it when he does this and they say, “Caleb’s praying!” The other day at breakfast when we were done saying grace before the meal, Caleb continued to have his hands folded. Lydia looked at him in exasperation and said, “Amen. We’re done praying, Caleb! A-MEN!”
So that’s where we are right now. We’re starting to be on the lookout for his first time rolling over. He’s also been drooling a lot, so we’re wondering if teeth are on the near horizon, although I sort of hope not. We’re also thinking about moving him to his own room, since he’s still sleeping in ours and is getting noisier all the time. He’s still swaddled for sleeping, won’t take a pacifier unless you hold it in his mouth, and is a bit spitty, although we’ve avoided reflux medications by my not eating garlic, onions, and anything spicy.
And now on to week 11… He goes in for his check-up this week and we’ll find out just how big he’s gotten. He is growing up too fast, but he’s still a baby for now and I’m soaking up every moment I can with my boy. Love you, Caleb!
