the coolest thing since his binky

Automatic doors. Better yet, four automatic doors in a row. I'm not sure what the point is, having so many, but they certainly kept Caleb entertained for a good fifteen minutes at one of the rest areas we stopped at along the way. Definitely a nice break from our four-day car ride (not to mention the tire swing out back).



We also discovered that he's fascinated by drinking fountains. At first he wanted to touch the water, then he liked putting his mouth in it (but can't figure out how to drink any), now the only thing he's interested in is getting his binky wet and shoving that back in his mouth. I wonder if we'll ever be rid of that thing? I suppose I should be glad he even takes one. It has definitely come in handy doing this many hours of non-stop driving. Toys and snacks and music were a big help as well :).

talent show

Here are a some videos of Caleb showing off a few of his many talents, such as:

Climbing the stairs (he's been doing this for about over two months),

Saying "kitty" (also not such a new development),

and riding a horse (and clap for himself).

He can also say several words (and knows what a couple of them mean), but he seems to be having trouble distinguishing between "yes" and "no."

I love that he's even answering our questions now, that if you say a sentence with the right vocal inflection, he'll recognize it as something he's supposed to respond to. "Can I have a kiss?" *kiss* (my favorite)."How did you sleep?" "Guh." "What's that right there?" "Beh b-tt (belly button)." "Are you hungry?" "No." "Is there something in your pants?" "Poo-poo." "Do you want to take a nap?" *sign for sleep* ... etcetera.

our Toddler

Caleb took his first steps - a couple times - right around February 8th, just a few days after his big #1. He tested his limits a bit, got up the guts to take 4-6 steps (more if he was distracted from how daring he was being), then just a few days around a pro walker, and he took off!



This video was taken at Grandma and Grandpa Stover's house (the walking influence was our niece Kayleigh), and uploaded just in time for one proud daddy to watch with a few of his buddies at some computer station in Afghanistan. A big smile and an "I told that kid to wait" formed his response. Sorry Michael, but your son's doing everything his way, at his own pace (remind you of anyone?) and all any of us can do is try not to blink and miss it.

Between learning how to walk, and say eight words in sign language, exploring his tiny nostril with his equally small finger (where did that come from?), and catching on to the dreaded "N-O" word [ dun - Dun - DUN! ], I can forsee a very exciting, and probably frustrating, stage ahead of us.

Our next endeavor: Your Baby Can Read. More on that later.

baby steps

We're getting a lot of these baby steps around here, where he's mostly just falling with style, but they're still pretty exciting. Another week or two and he'll be walking for sure!

*sniff* My little boy...

transporter

I honestly have no idea how he got there.

big boy in a little bath

I just love seeing my baby in the buff.

Would you like some butter with those rolls dear?

sweet music

It turns out that Caleb is as musically inclined as his mother and father, and all those before us. He's been whistling since he was 8 months old, started dancing sooner than that, and absolutely loves listening to whatever pretty noise goes on around him. He even sings, quite often, and that especially makes me very, very happy.

He's not really playing the piano here, just fascinated by it. Maybe once he has a little more control over his appendages, we'll see if he has a knack for it. But for now we'll just stick with the 8-key xylophone he got last week. Momma's gonna show him how to play Chipsticks, behind his back ;).