Accomplishments

Caleb has recently learned to sit up on his own. These days, he's doing just fine by himself, but when he first started he had a bit of trouble actually staying up. I was looking through some pictures and I thought this series of pictures was kinda funny. Luckily, I was able to grab him before he smacked his head off the floor (which, by the way, he did do the other day) but I caught these pictures before I saved him.

I suppose I should have been more concerned with protecting my child and less concerned with getting funny pictures of him falling over, but I'm just working on this mom thing :)

Wedding Updates

I've been so behind on blogging!! On June 14th, Pete's brother Nick got married. Lisa looks beautiful and it was great to see the family. I have to say, this is the happiest I have ever seen Nick. It was pretty cute:) Here are some pictures from the reception.

Warning: This Post Includes Updates That May Only Be Interesting to Grandmothers

Caleb turned six months last week and I cannot believe it. I know everyone always says that time really flies and all that, but it's true. It's crazy that in this same amount of time, he'll be a year old. While I love seeing all the new things he can do, it makes me a little sad and sappy to think how fast everything is going. I've been working on not getting frustrated when he won't fall asleep or is getting really fussy. And while it doesn't always work, it helps me to think of how fast it really is passing; an evening of no sleep is something I should try and savor instead of wanting to shove a burp cloth in his mouth :) I know that a year or two from now, I'll wish he would let me hold him as he falls asleep, so I'm trying to enjoy it now. It's hard, and it's definitely a work in progress, but I'm getting better at being more patient and taking in the moments. Enough sappiness.

With the six month milestone, comes a doctor appointment! He had his six month check up right before we went to Pittsburgh. Caleb had four shots and did not like them at all, for which I cannot blame him. He weighed in a 16 pounds, 6 ounces and measured 25.5 inches. He has slowed down a lot in his growth, which the doctor said was fine (and I agree, I think he is heavy enough as it is). When he was born, and throughout subsequent visits, he was always in the 25th percentile for height, but in a much higher percentile for weight (usually 75th-90th). He is now in the 25th percentile for both height and weight, which makes him much more proportionate. His doctor said "He was a bit of a chunker before." Which made me laugh. Our nurse also noted that the growling sound he makes is something she has not encountered before, saying, "That's all his own thing." We're looking into a child psychiatrist :)

His hernia is getting better and better and in my professional mothering opinion, I think it will heal up before his first birthday. Luckily his circumcision does NOT have to be re-done (there were some doubts) but we do have to keep the skin from reattaching. Since this is blog is open to the public, I will not be graphic about it, but I'll leave it at this-- it's not pleasant at all. Although he is not so great with words, I get the idea that he does not particularly like this, however, I think he will thank us later in life.

And that about wraps up the semi-annual Caleb report. Don't worry, there will be more to come, and probably faster than you would expect it.

Airport Abstractions

This Sunday evening finds us stuck in the Pittsburgh Airport. We came out to the 'burgh this weekend to help celebrate the graduations of both my sister and brother-in-law. Sean's family threw a shindig for the two of them and we came out to join the festivities. The party was great (a little wet) and we had a great time visiting with family. For the first time since Thanksgiving, Pete was able to travel with me. This meant that I didn't have to go through the airport with Caleb by myself. I was pretty excited. It also meant that Pete was able to visit with some of my family who he hasn't seen for a long time.

My brother Tracy was also in Pittsburgh this weekend, checking out one of the Big Four Firms that he might do an internship for next summer. They flew him out here to check out the office and see if he might think it was a good fit. So it was great that it worked out that we could see him! To top the weekend off, my father is going to fly back with us to Philadelphia tonight. He is staying with us for a week while he attends the NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop, "Bejamin Franklin and the Invention of America." He'll be taking classes at Villanova and exploring the city for a week. I'm totally jealous.

Currently the weather has our flight delayed and we are trying to find ways to entertain not only ourselves, but also Caleb. So far, we've been lucky enough to get by with his rings and a teething ring, but if the flight is delayed any longer, I'm not sure how well he'll hold out. Wish us luck!

Apologies

I have to apologize. This past week has been pretty crazy-- my parents have been running around like, well, like I would if I could run, so I didn't get a chance to acknowledge some pretty special birthdays. First, Happy Birthday to Jeff Meyer, his birthday was on the 16th of June.

Also, Happy Birthday Grandpa Knickerbocker! His birthday was on Tuesday the 17th. Mommy tried to take a picture of me wishing you happy birthday, but she said I was hopeless. Apparently I'm not supposed to eat every piece of paper they give me. I think that if they bought me some real toys, I wouldn't be so tempted to eat paper all the time. Maybe not though, paper is really fun.

Sorry for being so late on the birthday wishes. I hope you both had great days.

Love,
Caleb

Moving On Up

To the East Side... East Falls that is. While our new place is only 1.7 miles (according to Google Maps) away from where we live now, moving is still a hassle. We're really excited to move to the new place (it's bigger and right across the street from a lot of our friends in our ward) and I'm really excited that Peter will no longer have to study at my dining room table. We're pretty bummed that we're leaving our current apartment though-- we really love our landlords here and we really hate packing. I'm doing a great job of avoiding all the packing I need to do by blogging though :) (Actually, I'm currently trying to switch our utilities and of course, I'm on hold).

We finished painting our place two nights ago and even though Pete doesn't really know what color our place is, I think it is pretty. Caleb will have his room, which is a bit smaller than his room from our first apartment, but we also have a "guest room" now so the extra bed doesn't have to hang out in Caleb's space. Pete also has an office in the basement now, so Caleb and I won't be bothering him while he studies at home.

So cross your fingers that the move goes well. Thanks in advance to those who are helping!

Open Mouth, Insert... Hand?

Here's a video we took of Caleb awhile back. We were trying to get him to show off his laugh, but he was more interested in sucking on his fist. He gets a few good chuckles in there.

Old Dog, New Tricks

Here's a video of Caleb sitting up!

Tag- You're it!

I was recently tagged by more than one friend to do this picture post, so I figured I would give in and jump on the bandwagon (even though Pete is totally going to make fun of me for this).

The idea is to take pictures around your house as is-- no cleaning or fixing things before hand. (Luckily, Caleb took a long nap today and I was in a cleaning mood, so things were relatively put together before I decided to do this).

1. The Laundry Room











Our "Laundry Room" is in the basement. We share the space with the people who live above us (who are really nice by the way). Yes, those are tennis balls on my dryer. They are for when I have to wash the Boppy. Don't ask me, it's on the label.

2. Favorite Room
Caleb's Room! Without a doubt. Mostly because of the elephants, but also because it's a safe place. Is that cheesy? Oh well. It's the truth.

3. The Kitchen Sink
Does anyone know how to get the stains out of the kitchen sink? They drive me crazy! And that soap always falls over and leaks onto the counter-- leaving me a rather gross mess of dish soap. Eww.

4. What My Child is Doing Now:

Caleb is eating blueberries in his "I can't choke on Food" bag. Pete calls it his "chew bag" but I think that sounds gross. Don't get me wrong-- the bag is gross in and of itself, but "chew bag?" Ugh. But he thinks it is fabulous and so far he is enjoying the blueberries much more than I thought he would. (By the way, thanks Ellen-- these were the blueberries you guys gave us. Where did you go to pick those? We need to go ourselves!!)

5. The Toilet (Seriously?!?)
So our bathroom has one of those toilet paper roll holders that is tiled into the wall-- but the actual rod has been missing since we moved in. Since it was built into the wall, we couldn't find a rod that fit it (OK, I couldn't find a rod, Pete didn't care). So our toilet paper sits on top of the toilet and I am self conscious about it. Thus the unnecessary explanation.


6. My Closet
My half of the closet-- I didn't think it was fair to Pete to show his side. And the fact that the shoe box is crooked in this picture is driving me crazy. But I didn't fix it, because I am following the rules. And yes, Lauren, I still organize my closet in ROY G BIV. Some habits I just can't shake.

7. The Refrigerator

Good thing we just went grocery shopping! Pretty typical stuff here folks. My favorite thing? The picture Marley drew for us! She even wrote our names. She's pretty dang talented.

8. Dirtiest Room


Right now it's the living room since we are in the middle of packing.



9. Self Portrait
I'm aware that this is not a self portrait, but Pete is at work and even if he were at home, he would not take a picture of me to support blogging, so I found the most ridiculous picture of me that I could find and I think that should count. What say ye? (And yes, Pete and I match in this picture. It happens.)

10. My favorite shoes. I'm not even going to attempt this one. I have so many favorite shoes. Not even funny. If hard pressed, I would probably say my crocs, but even then I would have to choose between my blue and pink ones. It's a hard life.

11. Dream vacation. A completely unscheduled European backpacking tour. With a stop at Jane Austen's home. But no other plans. It would be so much fun to just jump on a train and end up anywhere.

OK... Phew. That was rough.

So that I can get to see some of my long lost friends and family and their homes, I tag Brent and Aubrey, Tracy and Hanna, Aaron and Jenny, and Lauren and Marcus (but Marcus has to be the one to blog, because he likes it so much) .

Whirlwind

So a few weeks ago my parents experienced a real "live" tornado. When my mom called me to tell me about the storm she said that they were alright but there was some serious damage. I went down to visit for Katie's graduation a few days later and as I was driving to their place there wasn't much damage at all. "She totally over reacted" I thought. There were a few trees down here and there, but nothing more than you would get from a bad thunderstorm. However, as I turned down the driveway, I saw a war zone. Apparently, the tornado had a beef to pick with my family, as it targeted them almost exclusively. Here are some pictures we took:


Unfortunately, the trees fell on my Dad's beloved '76 MG-B. It was a sad day for all of us. So far, he thinks most of the damage was done to the windshield, but time will tell.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the storm. The young men in my parent's ward came to help and play with chain saws, so they are starting to get things cleared up a bit.

Happy Father's Day!

I'm not always the best at expressing how I feel with words, but I wanted to wish all of the father figures in my life a very happy Father's Day. To name a few:

Dad- He doesn't baby me like Mommy does. He knows I'm a big boy.
Grandpa Knickerbocker- He makes a really funny pig noise. And some day he's going to give me some of that Diet Pepsi stuff.
Grandpere Farr- His voice makes me feel calm and sleepy.
Great-grandpa Knickerbocker- He let me ride with him all the way to Washington D.C.
Great-papa Farr- I like when he holds me with his big hands, it makes me feel secure.
Great-grandpa Ford and Great-grandpa Reddy- I got to hang out with these guys before I was born, and they are wonderful, no wonder Mom and Dad miss them so much!
"Grandpa" Meyer- I haven't spent much time with him, but Mommy talks about him all the time. She loves him lots so I know he must be pretty fantastic.

I know that there are a lot more fathers out there who do a lot of great things, but it is way past my bedtime.

--Caleb

Done the first year

WORDS FROM PETER:

It seems like ages ago I was sitting in orientation wondering what medical school was going to be like. From Gross Anatomy (appropriately named) through the cellular basis of medicine and finishing up with heart, kidneys, and lungs.
I am excited to have a summer off where I am not always worried about the next test hanging over my head. I am working at the KOP Apple store this summer where I hope to make more money then I end up spending on new toys:)

Travelfest 2008

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind. As you can see from my previous posts, both of my sisters graduated. As Pete was preparing for his finals, I was lucky enough to be able to attend both of the ceremonies. I went out to Pittsburgh a few days before Shayla's graduation so that I could watch Dean (my nephew who is about 6 weeks younger than Caleb) while she and Sean were in Erie, PA doing some pre-graduation things with her class. I am proud to say that although Norm the dog at formula, a dirty diaper and who knows what else, both babies and the dog survived the ordeal. Her graduation went well and I can't say how proud I am of her for making it. She really did a great job.

Mom, Shayla, Dad, Sean and Dean at Shayla's Graduation

I got to visit with some friends from high school while I was in Pittsburgh. Katrina, Caleb, Karen and Beth

From Pittsburgh, I went to visit my other "sister", one of my best friends, Lauren. She and her husband are working in Virginia Beach for the summer and I thought I would take advantage of her relative closeness. (They live in Utah). Lauren and I have been friends since her parents dropped her at my doorstep while they went house hunting some ten years ago. The past decade has been filled with memories of Lauren-- in high school, we were practically the same person. We had the same friends, took the same classes, went to the same ward, worked at the same place, even had a habit of dating best friends (and yeah, we even dated the same guy... sad.)

Caleb wasn't too sure about the sand. Or the water.

Caleb had his first encounter with the ocean. He wasn't too sure about it and was definitely not a fan of the oppressive heat (neither was I though). Lauren and I also went to see Rembrandt's Etchings at the Chrystler Museum in Norfolk. They were incredible! It was great to see her husband Marcus as well. He's a great guy and I love them together. It's great knowing that someone you know so well (seriously, I can tell you about her mother's toilet bowl brush I know her so well) is being taken care of. Corny, I know.

From Lauren's Caleb and I flew to Baltimore to attend Katie's graduation. The flight went well, however, sadly, my luggage had a bit of a rough time and ended up being pretty damaged. Southwest Airlines was great though, they gave me new luggage and the lady who helped me was so nice, I couldn't be upset. Strange as it was, Katie's high school had their ceremony on a Friday morning at 9:00. Weird. The ceremony was nice (and HOT!!) and relatively short. We went to lunch at a fabulous Mexican Restaurant to celebrate and then Pete (after finishing his last test) came down to Maryland to meet us.

Katie and my dad at her graduation. His little baby is growing up!

All in all, the week comprised of family, three flights (they made me take off Caleb's shoes to go through security. Seriously...), two graduations, one three hour drive, a shopping spree, the beach and a best friend. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Congrats High School Grad!

This weekend we had another graduation. (Apparently it's that time of the year). Katie graduated from Boonesboro High School. She was in the top 5% of her class and was offered academic scholarships at 4 colleges, the Washington County Teachers Association Scholarship and the Nora Roberts Scholarship. There were about 250 people in her graduating class and they were awarded almost 7 million dollars in scholarship funds. Apparently the only thing to do in Boonesboro is study.

Congrats Katie!! All your hard work is paying off.
P.S.
For her graduation present, my family got her a beautiful camera. We haven't seen her face since.

Congrats Dr. Grad!

It's official! Shayla is officially a doctor now. After all the blood sweat and tears of undergrad and medical school, Shayla graduated on June 1. We are so proud of her and Pete is excited that there really is an end to this whole thing. Shayla starts her residency at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Emergency Medicine. She is one of the only D.O.'s ever accepted into the program. Way to go!

I love having people to brag about. Makes my life much more interesting.