Baby Life and Love

Cal,
My little Superbaby. They say time goes by fast, but your first year of life has gone by faster than a speeding bullet (yay for me making a Superman reference). Try as I might, I can’t keep up with you (this includes blogging, the rate at which you can destroy the house, and your ridiculous sleep schedule or lack thereof). These posts used to be about milestones at certain points along the way, but because of life as a party of 5, this is more about what makes you unique. Just like our friend Clark Kent, you are disguised as a regular man/baby, but really have the power to make us love you more with each passing day! Next up: bending steel with your bare hands.

So I gotta ask…what’s with this whole liking-dad-more-than-me thing? I wish I could say I didn’t mind, but with all these middle of the night nursing sessions and that whole pregnancy and childbirth song and dance, I thought I was a shoe in. Alas, you are a dude’s dude. Dad loves it, but I’m hoping I make a comeback soon. I’ll always have my Stage 5 clinger.

As I told your pediatrician, you’re our first place eater and last place sleeper. It’s great that you are always up for a meal, have never turned down breastmilk from the tap, and use your pincher grasp like a pro to feed yourself. It makes mealtimes fun.

HOWEVER, I truly feel like the last 11 months are a blur partially because there have close to zero nights where we didn’t wake 3 or 4 or 5 times a night to feed and comfort you. It’s funny because it’s changed our perspective. When you sleep from midnight to five, we think that’s good. Whereas with your sisters we would have considered that a horrible night. Well played, son. As you approach one year, we’ve taken to feeding you every time you wake up in some bass ackwards turn of events, but at this point we are out of cares to give. Don’t let the picture below fool you….you’ll be up again in two hours!

Baby smells are the best (well, most of them) and you have your very own scent. I’ve used different lotions on each of my babies’ butts and my choice for you is Burt’s Bee’s Natural Lotion. This way, no matter how old you got, I can always remind myself of when I used to pull your chubby little body out of the bath and wrapping you up in a towel to snuggle.

You love bath time. It’s a great stall tactic for when you’re tired but we’re not ready to put you to bed. It’s also a necessity after you eat. The warm water calms you down and you are always trying to eat the washcloth. Plus, we get the best giggles from you in the tub.

You also love crawling underneath things. This is definitely unique to you as I don’t ever remember any baby I’ve met constantly wanting to take shelter. Exhibits a, b, and c.

You love when we put you on our shoulders. It means you can commence playing the bongos on our heads and pulling our hair out, since we don’t get enough of that because of your sisters.

You should be in a toothpaste or a denture commercial you have so many teeth. Not sure if it was a blessing or a curse, but they all came in at once. I say you’re ready for steak!

I know this may come as a surprise, but Howie doesn’t trust you. Call it puppy intuition, but if I even place you near him when he’s lying down on the couch, he’ll get up and walk away, just far enough to be out of reach of your grasp. I do this multiple times, and the dog is not mad about it, but he just knowsw you’ll probably grab on and not let go. On the plus side, he does think you’re capable of playing fetch with him despite the fact you keep putting the ball in your own mouth.

He may not trust you, but he does count on you for dropping food, and also takes advantage of your weak grip. Case in point:

We experienced our first trip to Village Inn where you sat in a highchair at about 7 months. This is the place we take all our minions when they can finally sit so we can eat breakfast without holding you. You were a natural at stacking jellies. I think the sign in the background here is speaking to me.

Sadly, you spent the entire month of February sick with bronchiolitis. It involved a visit to the ER, a persistent cough and you refusing to eat or drink much. Someday if and when you’re a dad, you will understand how hard this is. To watch your son or daughter’s personality disappear because they don’t feel good is all-encompassing heartbreak. That said, it makes a mom and dad that much more grateful for health and happiness when it returns and I have been so happy to have you back this past month.

Everyone comments what a HAPPY baby we have. Not sure what we’re doing right, but we’re doing something right!

We really do try to read to you, but you’re not one to sit and listen to a book. (MUST. EAT. PAGES.) This is another thing that sets you apart from your sisters, but we’ll get there!

You/We survived your first 9 hour car trip to Memphis, and back. I cannot tell you how many times we had to stop as I lost count by St. Louis. Not that I’ll hold it against you, but I had totally planned on doing a carpool karaoke to “Walkin in Memphis” and now I’ll probably never go viral. Next time we fly!

The holidays with you were fun, well except for NYE. Every party needs a pooper, and you were definitely it!

Don’t let the picture fool you, holding your own bottle simply does not interest you. How will you run your fingers through your hair if your hands are occupied? Just another way we spoil you rotten.

Naps? Ha! You have no schedule and you certainly #aintdoinit in your crib. Your friend Violet was visiting for one overnight and napped longer in your crib than you EVER have. I like to think you were being chivalrous by letting her sleep there while you slept in our arms, but I doubt it.

You don’t like being put down which works well because your sister wants to hold you all the time, too. And Gabby would if she could, but her role in the house is comedienne extraordinaire.

You were dedicated in the church while wearing the outfit Dad wore for his baptism 34 years ago. It was a special day we won’t soon forget. Here’s what I wrote about it: Dedication/christening/baptism…call it what you will. Today we committed to raising Calvin to know Jesus. While that may conjure different thoughts for different people, for us it means teaching him to forgive, to be humble, to live joyfully and to love much. We are beyond grateful for the family that is here to help us do that today and always. Please know how much your presence and love mean to us and our little boy. Thank you God for this truly great gift!

Bad news: You’re a righty. Oh well, maybe Howie was my lefty…

Last but not least: thank you. Every day you bring joy to our lives. There hasn’t been 1 day in the past 11 months that you haven’t made me smile, or laugh, or need some coffee, but I digress. This video is a great note to end on.