Callie's First Steps!!

3 days before turning a year old, Callie took her first steps!  We were honestly surprised because she was not a super-fast cruiser and didn't even push her walker-toys super smoothly.  Before Caeden walked, he would cruise pretty quickly around anything.  And he pushed his little push-toys wherever he wanted, pretty quickly.

Callie still wasn't doing either of these things super well.  So I totally thought she'd be 13-14 months before she was walking.  Well, I was wrong!  You know how most babies start out taking 3-4 steps between mommy and daddy?  And then gradually increase that number?  Callie went from taking NO steps, and being very cautious (as described above) to going straight to 7-8 steps.  The first time she took steps she was standing in the middle of our living room by herself and took about 8 steps to the couch.  And never went back!  That's about what she's done ever since!

Of course there are times she'll only get a few steps in, lose her balance and fall.  But from that moment forward, she was taking multiple steps halfway across the rooms.  It was crazy!  A week and a half later, she's pretty much walking wherever she wants to go!

Here's a quick video of the first day she started walking:

Standing Alone

Okay it's been a long while since I've made any blog updates, so get ready to be bombarded the next few days!!  I need to catch up!  First - when Callie started standing alone - right before she took her first steps!

At 11.5 months, she would pull up on something, let go and stand by herself for 1-2 minutes...quite awhile.  You would see her right foot twitching, like she was trying so hard to pick it up, but she just couldn't get up the courage.  She would always smile so big and squeal when she was standing by herself for such a long period - like she was so proud of herself!

Here are some pictures of her standing on her own for a long time:

This was actually about two minutes

 before she took her first steps!

And here is a short clip of a video that shows her squealing and feeling "so big" because she's standing by herself:

Callie: 11 months!

Oh. My. Goodness. My little girl is really 11 months old. For some reason, when Callie turned 10 months old, it didn't seem THAT much older to me...It was still like a "baby" age. But when she turned 11 months old, it seemed so much older!  It just made me a little sad....She is so close to being one year old! We are nearing the end of her first year....and it just doesn't feel like its been one. year.

Caeden's first year went by extremely slow, and I was so ready and relieved to hit the one-year mark. But seeing that I had a much better, more enjoyable mom experience this time, I don't want this first year to end.... Anyhow, let's check out everything she did this past month as she continued to grow (whether I like it or not). This post is about everything she did in her 11th month (when she was 10 mos old).

EATING
Callie's eating has mostly remained the same this past month. She continued to eat both solids and a bottle at each feeding (breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner/bedtime). When she turned 10.5 mos old, we dropped her afternoon bottle. She just got solids and a cup of formula for her snack. Then two weeks later, at 11 months old, we dropped her lunchtime bottle. Again, she gets her normal food with a cup of formula. She has done completely fine with dropping both of these bottles. She doesn't act hungrier than normal and doesn't seem to miss them. So right now, at 11 mos, she only takes a small bottle after breakfast and a bedtime bottle.

Her favorite thing to eat is always yogurt. She gets so excited when we pull yogurt out of the fridge and the whole time she's eating it she says, "Mmmmm! Mmmmmm!"

She doesn't have any food she strongly dislikes. The only time she doesn't eat well is when she's just not hungry. She also started eating more table foods this month. At each meal, Callie usually eats some (if not all) of what we as a family are eating. She always prefers this over her baby food.

Found a french fry under

the table after lunch! 

SLEEPING
Nothing has really changed with Callie's sleeping. She goes to bed easily at night, and sleeps 12 hours (from 7pm-7am). She has been fighting her naps a little more but for the most part, she still lays down very easily. She takes two naps (around 10am and 2pm) and sleeps about 1-1.5 hours each nap. She always wakes up happy, just playing in her crib until we go to get her.

PLAYING
Callies new favorite thing this past month became playing outside. She will sit by the front or back door, just staring outside, and hitting the door. She will fuss because she wants to go out. If the big kids go in the back yard, she will stare at them from the back door and cry/whine because she wants to be out there with them. And if she wants to go out, she will usually look at me and start waving...her way of telling me she wants to go bye-bye (or outside). It's just hard when we're out there because she can't walk and she wants to be down and crawling....but she just gets her little knees scraped up. So we usually either swing or ride in the Cozy Coupe, but after awhile she just wants down. Playing outside will become much easier when she starts walking! :)

Wanting to go outside...  :(

While inside she still plays very well by herself. She loves to walk around in her walker, and also loves to play close to Caeden and Ella. She will usually crawl into whatever room they're in and start playing. When the door is just closed to a crack, she knows how to open and close doors, by pushing and pulling on them. If she crawls to the room and the door is completely closed she starts hitting it and crying like " Let me in!"

Still puts EVERYTHING in her mouth!

Cuddling with her baby! 

LANGUAGE
Callie added "dada" to her minimal repertoire of words this past month. I have to say, she LOVES her daddy! While she loves being with mommy too, she gets so excited when she sees Daddy...kicking her feet, smiling real big, and grunting. When she hears him walk in after work, she crawls as fast as she can to the kitchen garage door....she knows Daddy is home! As far as other words, there have been a few times she has imitated us saying "night night" and "bye bye" but these aren't consistent things she says yet.

TEETHING
Callie finally cut her first tooth this month, at 10.5 months old. It was her top, front, right tooth. The tooth right next to it is getting ready to come through but hasn't started yet. No bottom teeth yet! (Fun fact: Caeden didn't start cutting teeth until he was 10.5 months old either....and his first four teeth were on the top too).
Honestly, she was not terribly unhappy....a little fussy off and on, but that's it. No feeding or sleep issues. However she did get a double ear infection in the middle of her teething....that caused lots of screaming. I'm pretty sure it was caused by her congestion she had when cutting her tooth.

MOMMY TIME
During this past month, Caeden and Ella started preschool which means they're gone two mornings a week...which means Callie gets some one-on-one time with mommy. Usually one of those days is spent grocery shopping and running errands, and Callie does amazing being out & about. Otherwise it's fun being at home with only one baby....I've forgotten what it was like to only have one baby at home. :)

DISCIPLINE
Now that Callie is moving all around the house and pulling up on everything, we are having to start "disciplining" her more.  Mainly when she touches something she's not supposed to....we just squeeze her hand and say "NO!" She understands this. Sometimes she gets mad and throws a mini-fit and other times she sticks out that lip and starts crying. The other day she didn't like her food and was dropping it one piece at a time on the floor. When I saw her I squeezed her hand and firmly told her no....she stuck out that bottom lip and let out the sweetest high pitch cry...like her feelings were hurt! Ha! Shouldn't be funny, but it is! Even Caeden started laughing out loud when he saw this...

As mentioned above, she started throwing mini-fits during this month, but hey...Caeden started that at 9 months old, so I'm happy she waited this long! And her fits are usually a really high squeal, with an arched back, and flailing hands. Caeden's fits at this age were full-fledged - an on-the-floor, rolling around, screaming fit. So I will happily take her "mini-fits" right now, and I'm hoping this is a good sign....that MAYBE she won't be as strong willed as he has been.

SIBLINGS
Caeden and Callie still have a sweet love for each other. Caeden wants to often help with Callie, but it usually ends up with Callie being in tears. He loves to cuddle with her, which she rarely lets happen because she's always on the move.  And he introduces her to most people that we meet!  He will say, "This is my sister Callie!" Callie loves to give Caeden hugs and kisses...especially when he's laying down for nap or when she first wakes up.

GROWTH STATS
Weight: 22.5 lbs
Height: ??
Clothes: 12 mos and 12-18 mos
Shoes: size 2.5-3
Diapers: size 4

Speaking of growth stats,

look at that hair!!  Woo hoo - it's finally coming in!

Right now it's looking strawberry-blonde,

AND there are a few curls in the back!!!!  :)

MILESTONES
Callie hit several "big" milestones during her 11th month. This is what she started doing at ten months old:

• Crawling (right at 10 mos)
• Cut her first tooth
• Pulls up to standing
• Slow cruising (she will cruise very slowly and cautiously but doesn't do this a lot)
• Says "dada" in reference to Reid
• Makes car noises when pushing toy cars
• Points to objects
• Can stand alone for up to 10 seconds

Pulls up on everything!

Oh Callie,  It's so incredibly amazing what you've learned in 11 short months!  I'm so thankful to God for creating you, and allowing us these past 11 months to spend with you!  You have such a sweet, content personality!  You love mommy, daddy, and big brother Caeden!  I know that as you follow us around, you want to be big like us so badly.  But we are cherishing the short time that we have you as our little baby!  It's hard to fathom God's love - knowing he loves you even more than we do!  Seems impossible!  We pray that you will know and accept His incredible love at a young age!  We love you so very much!!!!

Milestone Mania!

Well, Callie has decided to hit lots of milestones at once!  This will be easy to remember for her baby book since she's doing everything at the same time. :)  Two weeks ago, right at 10 months old, she started crawling...

Then on Labor Day, we saw her first tooth cutting through - on the top!

A few hours later, she starts cruising around her activity table...

And the next day (today), mommy went in her room to get her after nap, and she was standing in her crib.  Up until this point, she has never completely pulled up on anything, on her own.  Now she has!

So, within two weeks, she has met four major milestones, (three of which were met in a matter of two days)!  Go, Callie, go!  Next up - first steps!!!.....

Summer Bucket List #3

As summer came to a close last weekend, we finished up our bucket list!  These are the last few things we did together to make our summer SPECIAL!

Watched a movie outside!

Caeden's pick?  Diego! 

Caeden built a race car with Daddy!

And it really races!

We went on a nature scavenger hunt

in our neighborhood!  Caeden found

lots of "goodies!"

Had some friends over to make s'mores... 

Darby, Ella & Caeden

Stargazing... :)

and then camped in the backyard with Daddy!

Played miniature golf!

Caeden realized he could remove the 

flag and decided it was fun to wave it

around at every. hole.

Callie, just watchin'!

After accidentally hitting his ball in the water,

and seeing daddy get it out with the net, 

this became Caeden's favorite part!

After this, we "lost" lots of balls in the water,

so Caeden could use the net to remove it!

Sno Cones after a hot game of golf!

Sweet girl!!

So here it is!  This was our bucket list that we had posted on our fridge all summer!

(You may notice the goal that says "go bowling" that has only one slash.  This is because we attempted to go bowling, but had to leave when Caeden refused to wear the shoes.  So, we felt like we at least tried....which deserves half of an "x" right?)

We were very intentional about spending quality time together as a family and making memories!  I am so so blessed to have my husband home for a few months each summer, and we definitely don't want to waste that time!  I'm sure we will have a year full of fun memories to come....but here's to a great summer!!

Callie: 10 months!

Our Little Miss turned 10 months old last week. She is so interactive right now, is really developing a personality, and is discovering something new every day. Reid and I often comment on how much we love this age! This blog post is on the past month, her 10th month....when she was 9 months old.

EATING

Callie still eats really well. She continues to eat 4 times a day and her feedings fall during normal mealtimes. (7:30- breakfast, 11:30- lunch, 3:30- snack, 5:30/6- dinner). She has both solids and a bottle at every meal. Callie started eating some table food this month, so that's fun! Her favorite foods are banana, Cheerios, potatoes, carrots, and avocado. The only thing she really doesn't like on a consistent basis are meats.  

SLEEPING

Callie is still a great sleeper for the most part. She goes to bed around 7:00 most nights and wakes up around 7am most mornings. She takes two naps....her morning nap is around 10ish and her afternoon nap is around 2ish. 

Now that she can sit up in bed and crawl, she has a harder time falling asleep. She lays in bed, rolls around, talks, crawls, and plays. She will usually fall asleep after playing for 5-10 minutes in her bed, but if she doesn't, I go in for a few minutes and can usually get her to sleep pretty quick. She still wakes up happy, which is so nice!

Caeden put this stocking cap on her...and she left it on for awhile!

PLAYING

Callie started doing lots more things at 9 months old. She can roll a ball back and forth, she rolls cars on the floor, pushes buttons on her toys using her pointer finger, waves, and started playing "sooo big!" Callie learned how to go from stomach to sitting right when she turned 9 months old (so that was like 5 weeks ago). And she also learned how to walk in her walker which is fun. Caeden and Ella love to run around the house and have Callie chase them in her walker. Callie enjoys this too, so our house is filled with giggles when we play this game. 

She found the fridge!

Callie began to dance to music this month. I just love baby dancing!! Every time she hears a tune, she starts bouncing and swaying. :) Another funny story....I downloaded the baby app "Giggle Gang" on our iPad this month and was showing it to Callie. As the little creatures were bouncing around on the screen giggling, she kept lifting up the iPad to look underneath it. I couldn't figure out what she was doing. Instead of playing with the screen, she just kept picking up the iPad. It was later that I figured out that she was trying to find the creatures!!! She didn't understand where they were, so she was looking under the iPad. She still does this every time I turn on this app. Too funny!

  

Callie also did her first craft this month. We had the kids finger paint a canvas for our play room, so this was Callie's first time to paint.

LANGUAGE

Callie said what we think was her first word at 9 months old. And it was.....MAMA!! We hear it often when she's fussing or crying. That's what makes us think she's referring to me when she says it. Other than that, she does lots of babbling, and can get quite loud at times.

TEETHING

At 10 mos old, still no teeth for this little girl. Caeden was 10.5 months when he got his first 4 teeth. So we'll see when Callie's come in. There was a week this past month when we thought she was getting ready to cut a tooth because she was very needy, not sleeping as well, and drooling a ton! But that passed, and no tooth!

So we got out her big chunky puzzle this month.

The first thing she did was take out her paci, 

and put the puzzle handle into her mouth.

She still loves to do this!

And she will just play while it's in her mouth!  HA!

GROWTH STATS

While we noticed Callie's plump legs slimming down this past month, she is still much bigger than Caeden was at this age. But that's just how we like it!

Weight: ~22 lbs

Length: ??

Clothes size: 9 mos & 12 mos

Shoe size: 2

Diaper size: 4

MILESTONES

This past month was busy for Callie, as she learned to do lots of things! Here is a list of milestones that Callie met during her 10th month (when she was 9 MONTHS old):

• Go from stomach to sitting
• Waves "bye bye" and "night night"
• Dances to music
• Rolls a ball to another person
• Uses her pointer finger to press buttons on her toys
• Rolls a car back and forth on the floor
• Plays "Soooo Big!"
• Says "mama"
• Imitates the "all done" sign (will not do it on her own first, but if I sign and ask "all done?" she will sign it back)
• Stands alone for a few seconds (has done this for up to 10 seconds a few times)
• Started crawling at the very end of this month (right at 10 mos old)

Callie,

We absolutely love just sitting to play with you, hold you, rock you - just being with you!!  You make us laugh a lot these days, with your silly personality!  You are just very happy, content, and laid back   We still never take a day for granted with you, and still thank God for saving your life 10 months ago!  We tell you we love you all the time, but just can't say it enough!!!  Happy 10 months sweet girl!