Caleb, 16 weeks

March 29, 2011

I love that I can still write Caleb's age out in weeks.

Weeks. He's still brand new.

Everyday, I'm amazed by the things he does and how he's developing his own personality.


He grabs at blankets, towels and toys. He looks to catch someone's eyes. He holds chew toys and his fists in his mouth. He pulls on my hands to sit or stand up. He opens his mouth wide to express happiness. He watches quietly as people move around him. He calls out when something's not right.

And just yesterday, he was 99.999999% turned onto his tummy from lying on his back. For real! My little guy!

It took me a little while to realize what had happened. My back was turned when he was turning and Nathan had been with him so I thought Nathan might have helped him. But Nathan insisted that because Andrew hadn't helped him, and he (Nathan) hadn't helped him, Caleb must have done it by himself.

I'm was so proud of my baby. He's been trying to do it for the past week or so and he finally got it!

Nathan's 5th Birthday

March 27, 2011

Here's a quick recap of Nathan's 5th birthday weekend:

Yesterday, we had breakfast crepes, sweet and savoury.


Nathan opened his gift from Semele, who had spent hours trying to decide what to get him, and had two Skype dates with Andrew's side of the family. Then, our friends invited us over to their beautiful home for dinner and Nathan played Wii all night.


This morning, we Skyped with my side of the family before church and Nathan got to have cake "with" them for breakfast.

After church, we headed to Sunnybank for a dim sum lunch. When we got home, Nathan and Andrew got to work putting together his brand new bike from Andrew's parents. He took it for a spin after all that hard work.


When he was done riding, he came back in for some Lego Batman, then a quick birthday treasure hunt to find the present from Andrew and I. I based most of the clues on Nathan's current favourite books and he figured them all out so quickly without having to look at the books. Even the Cat in the Hat clue that I accidentally mixed up.






We convinced Nathan to have a quick dinner before playing with his new Ninjagos.

Anticipating 5

March 26, 2011

Nathan is so incredibly excited to be turning 5.


so.


incredibly.


excited.

Bartering, Among Other Things

March 17, 2011

Yesterday, while Caleb was crying inconsolably, Nathan wandered over to the couch and offered to hold him for a little bit.

I thought to myself, "Wow, that's such a kind and thoughtful offer. How mature of him. Should I take him up on the offer? Maybe he can hold Caleb sitting on the couch. It's safe enough if they're sitting on the couch. Okay, I'll do it." (All in a matter of seconds because that's how long moms are allowed to think for.)

Then, while I was propping Caleb up in Nathan's lap, he said, "Now you can go get me my ice cream!" What a sneaky fellow.


In case you were wondering, he got his ice cream because anyone who relieves a mom from a crying baby, even if it's only for a couple seconds (or an ice cream), should be rewarded.

* * * * * * *

Nathan asked me to put a bandage on his finger today. He had to inspect each of his fingers to remember which one had the boo-boo.

I asked him if I could take a picture. He agreed.

And immediately after, sighed and said "Can you put it on already?!"

Am I the only one who enjoys this whole picture-taking/blogging process?

* * * * * * *

Those little green stars right there? That's the extent of my St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Oh, and I might watch that VeggieTales movie that talks about Maewyn Succat. It's surprisingly informative!

The end.

Big Cheese

March 16, 2011

Nathan's only attending school half-day at the moment. Most days, I let him play on the playground with some of the other half-day kids until I get tired. Usually by the time we get home, Caleb's pretty hungry so sometimes I get Nathan to put together his own lunch.

Today, we had cheese, crackers, ham and watermelon.

I asked him to cut up the cheese and envisioned him cutting slices to stack onto the crackers with the ham. He had other plans.

His plans involved cutting the block of cheese into 3 large chunks and putting those onto the crackers.

Then he wanted to pose and pretend like he was eating.

Pie In The Sky

March 14, 2011

I was staring at the calendar yesterday and I kept staring at March 14. I knew there was something about March 14, and I knew that it wasn't St. Paddy's day. I already acknowledged that it was my good friend, Darrelyn's birthday (Happy Birthday, Darrelyn!) but there was something else.

And I just remembered. It's Pi Day! Happy Pi Day!

* * * * * * *

Here's Caleb, watching Andrew and Nathan play basketball outside. He was cooing, giggling and kicking his feet, just itching for his turn.


Soon, baby. Soon.

Brothers (3 months)

March 10, 2011

It's hard to believe these two have only known each other for 3 months.


There's just so much love and admiration between them.


Nathan loves taking care of Caleb, and bears with him when he's crying in the car. He's willing to share his room with him and waits patiently when Andrew or I are doing things with Caleb.



Caleb loves watching his brother. He smiles and giggles when Nathan jumps around. He watches his every move with wide eyes and loves it when Nathan talks to him.

Caleb, 3 Months

March 8, 2011

Three months ago, this happened.



Followed by this.



And this.



And this.



And this is now.


I can't believe we're already here.

Hello, Mr. Octopus

March 6, 2011

Caleb's been spending some time with Mr. Octopus lately.

Mr. Octopus makes music when you squeeze his tentacles. Caleb thinks it's great.


Most of the time though, they just stare at each other.

Backseat Antics

March 5, 2011

Sometimes, I let Nathan play with my iPhone while we're driving.








He makes some pretty funny faces.

Nathan's School Day 2

March 1, 2011

New beginnings! (Name that movie!)

Hurray for new beginnings. Today's the start of a new month and day two of Nathan going to school. Today was much better than yesterday.

- I remembered to pack a fruit for Nathan to bring to class, even though it was a banana with brown spots all over it. It counts!

- I found a parking spot in the shade, even though it was way at the end of the parking lot. We got to school half an hour early! How is it that we still ended up at the end of the parking lot? I'm tempted to go even earlier to find out when all those keeners actually arrive, but I don't think my boys would appreciate that kind of craziness.

- I remembered to take pictures of Nathan at school, even though a couple of them were creeper shots. I hid behind a bush so the kids wouldn't see me. Somehow, I don't think that makes it any better.


Caleb and I wait in the shade as Nathan plays on the playground before school.



The creeper shot. I only took pictures of Nathan, I promise.



Nathan plays for a bit after school while I feed Caleb before our drive home.



Nathan's "First Day of School" picture - his version.



Nathan's "First Day of School" picture - my version.


Some of these pictures are a little grainy. It's easiest to just whip out my iPhone to take pictures these days, but maybe I should start carrying a real camera around again just for some better shots.

* * * * * * *

On the way home, and when we got home, we managed to Skype with my sister. At one point, we were both on our iPhones, Tweeting and such.


Some things just never change, no matter how far apart you are. It's like we're sitting in the same room... except we're thousands of miles apart on a video call.

Caleb (Feb 19/11)

February 27, 2011


How can you resist a smile like that?

Nathan's Tweets

February 24, 2011

I recently showed Nathan the Instagram app on my iPhone. He liked being able to choose different filters. Plus, it's so easy to use!


And he's sharing them on my Tweets. Be on the lookout for more of Nathan's shots!

Free Ride

February 22, 2011

Nathan caught a free ride on the bat-motorcycle the other day.


Nathan + a motorcycle + Batman = a dream come true.

Squishy Baby

February 18, 2011


I love my squishy baby!

Washing Dishes

February 17, 2011

Is it still considered a chore if it's fun?

Last week, I asked Nathan to wash the dishes with me. Like making sushi, it was something I needed to do that was simple enough for Nathan to be involved. I gave him the job of rinsing the dishes and putting them onto the racks to dry.

It was an easy job and apparently he loved it because the next day, and the day after that, he was asking me when we would be doing the dishes.


Now this week, I asked if he wanted to do the dishes with me again. He quickly agreed, but then he said we had to trade jobs. Last time, he rinsed so this time, it was his turn to wash!


I asked him to wait for me to finish feeding Caleb before starting the dishes but he got impatient and ended up washing and rinsing the dishes himself. He did half the huge pile of dishes before he hopped off his stool and said he wanted a break. I ended up doing the rest.


I'm going to miss him so much when he goes off to school in a couple weeks!


P.S. Thank you, Andrew, for opting to buy the taller stool instead. Now, not only do I no longer have to get Nathan's clothes for him, I also don't have to put his clothes away or wash the dishes... on the good days.

Tummy Time

February 15, 2011


Caleb's been getting better and better at holding his body up. He's been holding his head up since the moment he was born, and he's getting stronger every day. He can stay on his tummy for a good chunk of time before he gets tired and rolls over. Nathan's enjoying Caleb's new-found strength more as he spends time with his brother without an adult holding Caleb.

Button Up

February 11, 2011


Getting ready for Chinese New Year, Nathan insisted on helping Caleb with his buttons.

Big Helper

February 10, 2011

Nathan's been a super big helper to me ever since we moved into our new place.

He's been as patient as a 4-year-old can be when I'm tending to Caleb or taking a quick nap.

There have been a couple moments when he let us know how unfair things have gotten for him.

But he's quick to forgive.


And he's getting pretty good at taking self-pics!

Little Man

February 8, 2011

Hey little mansy. I can't believe you're 2-months-old already!


I love how you hold your head up and stare at me with your huge, dark eyes.


I love how satisfied you look when you straighten your legs and stand up tall.


I love how you smile and coo at me when I talk to you.