Lincoln Park Zoo

We celebrated Warren's 22nd birthday today. It is hard to believe that my "little" brother is already that "old!" He is living in the Lincoln Park area for the summer, so we took advantage of the great location and the great weather...and spent the afternoon at the zoo!

We had a great time together as a family, and Caleb did remarkably well, considering he went napless. =) We saw many different animals throughout the day, but his favorites were the penguins and the monkeys. And, while he loved to see all of the animals, he often got frustrated that he couldn't get in the cages with them! There were some smaller-sized bears there that he insisted on calling "puppy". And, he had the opportunity to pet a small, non-poisonous snake, but had no interest in that! From what we could tell, he had a great time...and was VERY ready for bed tonight!

I have included a few photos in this post, but if you want to see all of the pictures we took today, feel free to look through the slideshow I have included at the end.








Slideshow...(click to enlarge)

It's Never Too Early to Have Good Hygiene

There are many ways that our little guy wants to be just like his Daddy, but I thought that this was a particularly cute (and somewhat random) photo of something that Caleb likes to do these days.

**In case you can't tell what he is doing...he has Daddy's deodorant and is "applying" it. =)***

28 Weeks

We have officially hit the 28 week mark. We still have a while to go, but I have a feeling that the summer is going to fly by.

We had a doctor's appointment this morning, and everything looks good. Our little girl was not facing the right direction for a face shot, so we did not get any good images to print off, but we are just very thankful that she is continuing to grow and seems to be healthy! Her heartbeat was 149 bpm, and measurements estimated her to be 2 pounds, 6 ounces. It will be interesting to see how big she is at birth, especially compared to her big brother, who was decent sized when he was born. =)

Speaking of weight...I have gained my fair share of it, that is for sure. (I'll spare you the details on just how much I have gained.) A few months back, my doctors were concerned that I was not gaining ENOUGH weight. So, I worked hard to put on the pounds. After all of that hard work, I got the stomach flu and ended up losing most of what I had gained. Apparently, I have made up for all of that, and then some. While I have become a bit concerned, my doctor told me not to worry. She did check my ankles and such for any swelling and did not find anything. Our weight conversation ended with her telling me "just be glad you are tall." Hmmm...

Anyway, here is a belly shot we took today....28 weeks, 1 day.


And, since I don't have a cute ultrasound photo of our little one to post, I've included some pictures of a few cute gifts she has received....

These first 2 pictures are of blankets HOMEMADE for her by our good friend Becky! She is so talented, and I can't get over how much I love these blankets...and I am confident that Baby Girl will love them, also! The first is a beautiful quilt that she made....it is perfect! The photograph doesn't even do it justice. The second is a "taggie" blanket for the baby. Thank you so much, Becky! You are so generous and thoughtful! Oh, and incredibly crafty!!!




And, this is a hat my mom bought for her...SO cute!

Big Boy Bed

We have been hoping that Caleb would be able to transition into a new room, and a new "big boy bed" before his little sister arrived. We didn't want to wait until she was born, for fear that he might resent his new little sister for taking over his space.

So, we have been getting his new room set up in hopes that someday soon, we could make the official transition. My goal was to start trying out the new bed by the beginning of June, thinking it might take a few nights...or a few weeks. =)

But, we should have known....our little guy is pretty easygoing, at least when it comes to his sleeping arrangements!

One day this past week, before nap time, he expressed interest in wanting to nap in his new bed. I figured that I might as well try it, since he initiated the idea! So, we got him all ready, got his bed all ready, and went through our typical naptime routine. I was fully prepared to have him finish his nap in his crib, because I wasn't totally confident he would make it the entire nap time in his new bed....ah, me of little faith. =)

After about 5 minutes, I did hear some "sounds" in his room...and went in to see him out of bed, playing with some toys. I thought, okay, we'll give it another try. So, I reminded him that it was naptime, and that he needed to go to sleep in his bed. I asked him if he would rather sleep in his crib, and he said "no." Then he walked over to his big boy bed and was ready to try again. I tucked him in for a second time, and told him to close his eyes and go to sleep.

I didn't hear him again for another 2 1/2 hours! Success!

Since then, he has slept exclusively in his big boy bed! He has done so well, and we are so proud of him.



And, for a bit of nostalgia, here is a photo of him sleeping in his VERY FIRST bed....this picture was taken when he was just a few days old!



And, his most recent bed....the beautiful crib that my dad built. While it is a bit sad to think of how quickly Caleb is growing up, we LOVE seeing him grow and learn so much each day. And of course, we are very excited for our little girl to have such a special crib to sleep in.



**Next time you see photos of the nursery, it will look quite different! Stay tuned!

Sunny Days...

We have VERY MUCH enjoyed the beautiful weather we have had recently! Caleb loves, loves, LOVES to be outside, and that is a-ok with us! He loves to take walks around the neighborhood in the wagon, play at the park, and just run around!

The other day, he helped put some mulch down...after about 5 minutes, though, he decided it would be more fun to sweep the driveway. Seriously.






Although we don't have an outdoor hoop, he still loves to play with the basketball outside in the yard and driveway.


And, what kid doesn't love bubbles? Well, ours sure does, anyhow! In fact, "bubbles" is probably one of the most frequently used words around here this week. It is fun to see his excitement when trying to catch the bubbles, or when trying to create the bubbles in the first place! He gets excited and yells "pop" every time he sees one do just that...and then tells others "bye" as they float away.




Taking a break to stop and smell the roses, I mean....tulips.

Dandelions

Caleb loves dandelions. Ever since his friend Ella introduced him to the wonderful world of these weeds, he has been enthralled. To him, they are "owers" (translation: "flowers").

He has also discovered the art of scattering the seeds from the dead ones. He picks them, and then either waves them around or blows on them until every last little seed is gone.

Mother's Day 2009

I love being a mom.
I can't imagine my life without Caleb.
I am so thankful for him and love him like crazy!

We spent Mother's Day at my parents' house. It was a nice day...we relaxed, ate some really good steak, and Kris changed all the diapers. =)

Mommy and Caleb...

Unfortunately, Caleb does not really like to "pose" for formal pictures these days....so, we had to settle for these two pictures as the best options for the "Caleb and Mommy on Mother's Day 2009" category.

Don't worry....I did not drop him. =)


Reading...



We of course had to get out the T-Ball set...

I am not sure what he is super-excited about here...but, how cute is he?!


I think this is going to be a Home Run...


Batter's Up...


His baseball card pose...


Cutie...


Just for Fun...

Caleb has mastered the art of saying "cheese" for the camera....now, if only we can teach him to tone it down...and open his eyes. =)

Congratulations, Dad!

My Dad, being the humble and selfless man that he is, would probably not prefer for me to post this on our blog, but we are really proud of him, so we are doing it anyway. =)

This weekend, my dad was inducted into Round Lake High School's Athletic Hall of Fame. Though he graduated more than a few years ago (*wink*), this is only the 2nd year of the Hall of Fame's existence. I, personally, think it is pretty great that although he graduated more than a few years ago, he was already inducted, in just the 2nd year!

It was a fun evening. Both of my parents went to RLHS, and my dad actually taught there for a few years as well, before a career-change. So, we were able to meet some people that we had only heard about in stories.

It was great to listen to the introduction that the host gave for my dad. He had to keep saying "and also..." when referring to my dad's athletic accomplishments. Just when you thought he might just have to be finished, he would add more impressive stats to the list.

Most of these accomplishments are ones I never knew of. Like I mentioned earlier....my dad is extremely humble....there were no plaques on the walls or trophies on the shelf of our home. We knew he was good, we just didn't know how good. Turns out he was quite good, actually. =)

If you are interested in the highlights of his athletic career, follow the link below, and scroll down to find him - Mickey McCarty.

http://www.rlas-116.org/panthers/Pages/HallofFame.aspx

So, congratulations, Dad!
You are a talented man...
and, although there is a lot to love about your talents,
you are so much more than that!
Thank you for being a humble, selfless, hard-working, and dedicated dad...and grandpa!

The slideshow...


Being presented his award...


Quick speech (I wish I had the eloquence and humor that he does when I speak!)

Geometry Lesson

Enjoy our little "geometry lesson".
(He also can identify a star and a heart, but this particular toy does not have those shapes with it!)

Growing...

We are growing!

We had a doctor's appointment today. Everything, at this point, is still going well. Our little girl is developing right on track. Her heartbeat was a strong 160 beats per minute.

The VERY FIRST thing I noticed when the doctor zoomed in on her sweet face was that she reminded me of Caleb. In other words...she sure did "chunk up" since the last ultrasound we had! Click here to look back at photos from our 19 week, 4 day appointment.

Here are a couple of photos (blurry, as always!) from today...

She always has one or both of her hands up by her eyes. Caleb was often seen doing this in the womb as well....it must be a baby thing. =)


A straight on shot of her face...


OF course, I am growing, too. This was taken on Wednesday, just a couple of days after I hit 24 weeks.


I have been feeling great....more "pulls" and "twinges" than I had with Caleb, and a bit of back pain and occasional heartburn, but overall, I am feeling good! Although, I still pull the "I'm pregnant and achy" card on a nightly basis to elicit a quick back massage out of Kris. =)

Although doctors, at first, were concerned that I was not gaining enough weight, I think I am doing just fine at this point. Maybe more than fine. They told me to put on the pounds. I took them very seriously!

Other than Caleb's closet being taken over by pink, bunk beds going up in what will be Caleb's new big boy room, and my ever-growing tummy, it's business as usual around here!