It feels so strange to say that Caleb will be a year old in just a matter of days.  Truly, it seems like I was just pregnant, or that we just brought him home from the hospital.  But, it a lot of ways, it feels like he has always been a part of us.  It is so amazing, and such a blessing, to watch him grow up and develop and learn all sorts of new things.  Some of his newest things include:
*crawling wherever he wants to go- FAST!
*doing the Tarzan yell and beating his chest (not so great in church!)
*cruising along the furniture
*babbling and talking... he says "mama" "dada" "more" "meow" and I think he attempted "book" a couple of times
*he loves to crinkle his nose and laugh
*belly laughing
*offering his arms/hands when I put on his shirt (when he is in the mood)
*feeding himself finger foods
*walking with help (though I expect him to take off on his own any day)
*he now has two teeth on bottom, two on top coming in, and his other front top tooth is about to break through any day

I'm sure there are other things that aren't coming to mind right now!

Here are a few pictures of him at 11 months:

Stole and devoured a cream puff

 

the nose-crinkle laugh (see all them toofers?!)

mid-crawl, stopping to pose for the camera 

his new favorite is to stand up at the recliner to get the remote

doing "Tarzan"

 

Caleb also got his first shiner last week.   I think everyone handled it well except for Mommy!  He was playing on the furniture, and just as I was getting up and saying, "I'm afraid he's going to fall on that corner," he fell... on that corner.  Thankfully, only his eyelid was cut... God definitely protected him, because had he been less than an inch off, it would've been his eye.  Here's the only picture I got... poor baby.
 

and, without further ado, the monthday pictures:

 

 
    

Well, Caleb has now officially been in the world as long as he was in the womb... it's sort of crazy to think of it that way!  I'm a little late posting his 9 month pictures, I know, but I have several pics to post, so maybe that will make up for it?!  :)

At 9 months, Caleb is putting more of his focus on physical things... still not crawling, but gosh he's so close!  Walt and I find ourselves saying, "I really thought he was going to crawl today" quite often.  I think he pretty much has all of the mechanics figured out, it's just putting it all together.  Don't worry, though... he is more than capable of getting whereever he wants to go by scooting and rolling.  In fact, the other day, I turned from him for a brief moment only to find him across the living room, attempting to eat the power cord for the laptop- YIKES!  So we're using the Pack n Play a lot more now when we can't have our eyes on him... he either needs to be confined or closely watched, no more sitting him on the floor and running upstairs for something! 

One of his most exciting latest skills is pulling himself up to a standing position by himself (not using our hands)... he has a toy that he especially likes for this (thanks, Grandma and Grandad!)...

He went from this to completely pulling up to a standing position in about a day: 

There's just something extra-sweet about a sleeping baby...

 

(shopping, apparently, wears him out...)

Here are some more pictures of him from the past month:

 

working on those teeth!

trying to figure out how to stand from a sitting position 

one of his new silly smiles

toothy grins



working on his laptop, just like Daddy

watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (his absolute favorite... the theme song or "Hot Dog Song" will get his attention no matter where we are or what we're doing!)

saying hi to Dale





waving hi (he will sometimes wave hi and bye-bye)



And, of course, his month-by-month comparison pics!

 

(not his best picture ever... tired, teething, and just not in the mood for it, poor guy!)

Well, Caleb is now officially eight months old.  I look at him and am starting to see less baby and more little boy... it's so bittersweet, because I'm excited for the person he's becoming, for all of the new skills he's learning, for the way he's discovering the world around him... and yet, I can't help but feel a little sad that my "baby" baby is changing. 

Caleb's still trying to crawl, and we're trying to help him be motivated!  He is mobile, though, and very good at getting what he wants by scooting or rolling.  He LOVES to take our hands, stand up, and try to walk... he will actually take a few steps, holding on...

 

(Thanks, by the way, to Aunt Michelle for the cute outfit!)

He has two little teeth that are continuing to work their way into his mouth.  He is, therefore, chewing and gnawing on whatever he finds!

 

(you can see the two bottom middle teeth if you look closely!)

 

He continues to be very vocal, babbling a lot... still saying "momma" and a few times, we've heard "dadadada"... he makes a sound that sounds like "hey!" and he likes to say it back and forth with Mommy.  He loves other little people, and will stare intently at our friends' children when they're talking to him.  He still is waking to eat usually once per night, but is otherwise a great sleeper, so we can't complain about nighttime... naps, on the other hand, are NOT his favorite thing in the world.  Sometimes, he'll go down without a fight, but other days... not so much! :)

Overall, Caleb is a very happy little guy, often smiling and laughing.  He's developing a sense of humor, which is vital in this family... I love to see when he thinks things are funny!  Sometimes, at night, after he eats and I am waiting to make sure he's asleep before he goes back into the crib (yes, I know most "experts" disagree, but I know my child best!), he'll break into the biggest grin and sometimes laugh.  I figure he's dreaming about some of Poppa's knee-slapping or Grandma's tongue-clicking!  He very much likes clapping and will try and put his hands together as though he wants to clap.  He also has lately learned how to "high five" us- so cute!  When we make tongue-clicking noises at him, he will laugh and slap his knee, which makes us laugh, which makes him laugh... well, you get the point!

Here are some new pictures...

 

And, of course, his monthly progression...