First Popsicle

As you can see Callum had his first Popsicle this weekend. PA and obviously some other parts of the U.S. had some freakishly hot weather-- 90 degrees in April!-- so we enjoyed some Popsicles to cool off. Callum loved it although he was furious when it ended. We're also in preparations for the big 1st birthday which has been fun. This year has gone by so fast I can hardly believe it. The best times for me as a Mommy have been all of the firsts- smile, laugh, hug, foods, and steps. The most challenging have been the sleepless nights and teething. Boy- getting teeth sure is difficult business. I look back and smile at the long nights and think about how they allowed me to bond with Callum. On the other hand, I'm glad we're bonded and he's sleeping. Although tonight might be a bad one since he's obviously suffered from some new ones. He had a fever that sent him home from daycare and he was drooly and crabby all day. Reminiscing of the first month of Callum's life brings me to one night in particular. I will never forget when I woke up with a pain in my back from the newborn sized Pampers diaper which was wedged in our bed. In my sleep deprived state of Callum's life--week two, I managed to change Callum and not throw the diaper away. Rather it ended up in between our sheets! Thankfully it was a wet one which had been tightly rolled into a ball so no mess ensued. It's amazing the things we do and look back on! Keep posted for new pictures and hopefully video of a grand cake smash! We've ordered chocolate so I hope he likes it!

Words With New Meanings

As I reflect on the past year of Callum's life as we approach month number 12, I've come to find new meaning to words associated with the first year of parenthood.

• Bottle: literal meaning according to Webster online: a rigid or semi rigid container typically of glass or plastic having a comparatively narrow neck or mouth and usually no handle. Bottle: meaning to a parent: the one thing that will calm a baby and in Callum's case, provide immediate quiet.
• Sleep: literal meaning: the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored. Sleep: meaning to a parent: the one thing you crave and possibly miss the most after the baby arrives and in Callum's case, doesn't catch onto for a full 12 hours until 10 months of age.
• Food: literal meaning: material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy. Food: meaning to parent: substance that aids with sleep and comes in many forms including breast milk, formula, cereal, fruits, vegetables and eventually Gerber snacks which are so loved by babies but so expensive for their serving sizes per bag. In Callum's case, food often resides on his clothes and in his hair every time he eats, and we now invest in the large refill of Spray and Wash as opposed to the small bottle.
• Laughter: literal meaning: a cause of merriment. Laughter: meaning to a parent: one of the few things that makes them act stupidly in any situation just to hear this joyous sound come from their child. In Callum's case, he loves when we put things on our heads and make stupid faces, which we do on a daily basis.
• Love: literal meaning: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. Love: meaning to a parent: your heart now belongs to someone else.

My favorite quote concerning being a parent is by Elizabeth Stone who said "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body". I now appreciate this quote when I look at Callum and reflect on the past year.

My First Real Hug

I will post today that I received my first real hug last week. On Thursday afternoon, I drove to daycare to pick Callum up because Iain had to work late. I was running behind because I had also worked late to finish a presentation with students. The goal was to pick Callum up, meet Iain, go to Melvin's Auto to drop off our car for inspection, and get over to Uncle Tedd's house to borrow his car... all before 6:15. The time was currently 5:15 when I left campus. When I arrived at daycare, I was feeling frantic because I still hadn't managed to get Iain on the phone and I was worried about getting to the garage before it closed at 6. Mind you, our daycare is 5 miles outside of Shippensburg in the exact opposite direction of the garage. When I walked inside, Callum's little face lit up beyond belief to see his Mommy. I don't usually pick him up and he was overjoyed to see me there. To have awoken from a nap just a few minutes earlier also enlightened his mood. When I picked him up, he hugged me. Actually hugged me. I know that he's been on my hip or shoulder hundreds of times for many reasons, but this was the first time, his little arms wrapped around me and held on for the purpose of a hug. It was the best feeling that I truly can't describe in entirety. And yes, we did manage to get all of that other stuff done, but that afternoon, Callum's hug made me slow down just a little bit. We celebrated Easter weekend with a trip to Pappy and Grandma Sloan's house. It was a fun time with good company and excellent food. Callum did exceptionally well in the car as he was awake the entire way there and back, which is about 3 hours each way. We've now learned the power of a snack and juice in the car. As long as he had a cheese puff, regular baby puff, yogurt bite or other goodie in his mouth or within reach, he was happy to sit there and ride away. Mind you, these snacks are all pretty much made up of air and have less than 35 calories per serving. We also played all kinds of games and sang songs. I'm glad he is getting used to the car ride now because it will make it a bit easier each time we travel. As his 1st birthday approaches, I can't believe how quickly the year has gone. I don't know if I'd want the little Callum back because I enjoy him so much now between his ever growing personality and the sleep we all get each night. I'm going to post some new pictures after I find my USB cord. I think my SIL stole it (http://sloanchronicles.blogspot.com/) J/K- it's in our guestroom!

Late lunch

I'm eating a late lunch due to a noon meeting so I thought I was add some new pictures. We've found that taking Callum outdoors = a tired baby = rested parents. On Sunday, Iain's arm fell asleep since Callum's afternoon nap was 2 hours long - on top of him. We'll be doing that more often on the weekends. Bring on the warm weather!

Month 11

The end of month 10 and beginning of month 11 for Callum have been flying! Or should I say that Callum is flying... he's like the Energizer Bunny... keeps going and going and going... he has some interest in toys and books but not like it was before he was mobile. Eating is still an ongoing adventure and he's pretty much trying all kinds of grown up foods. He had macaroni and cheese tonight which he loved. He also sees us eating things and wants to try them. Not always great when we're eating semi or very unhealthy things. I've also come to learn why Stain Stick is so integral in the lives of moms, especially me, since Iain's been banned from laundry. We had an incident with dark clothes and bleach and thus I've taken over. Callum has also been testing out a new pair of tennis shoes. They're his first pair of shoes and he's doing really well with them. He's technically taken his first steps although they are few and far between. The daycare he attends is in the basement of a church and has a long hallway with classrooms on either side. He managed to walk with a baby walker almost the entire length of the hallway without stopping or sitting down. I was so impressed when I found out. Callum's still very attached to his bottles but is doing well with the sippy cups. I'm not looking forward to that weening process although I'm hoping that similar to the Swaddler, he transitions himself out of it. He's still in the baby bath but we have GOT to get him out of it. He's now standing up in it trying to grab his new bath toys off the walls of the tub (Thanks Aunt Karen!). All in all, things are fun and Callum is thriving. He's very affectionate with those he knows and has no time for those he doesn't. :-) We should have some stories from Easter because I think the daycare Easter party will involve a bunny...