Caleb's Baby Dedication

C.S. Lewis

I married a philosopher. He invites new ideas in. He listens, contemplates, tests. He's not a smoker, but if he were, it would be a pipe. He'd rest in a large armchair in a wood-paneled library asking you to expound on your previous statement. When I met I Paul, he was mid-thought on a philosophy called Determinism. In my understanding, Determinism outlaws the concept of free will, postulating that the universe is strictly cause and effect. Your decisions? Reactions. Followed though its full course, it is a dark and lonely place. I watched that handsome man mull it over, reach his conclusion, and move forward.

In my short and sheltered life, I hadn't met anyone so willing to discuss the possibilities of how and why life happens. If you're wondering what this has to do with Caleb's baby dedication, here's the crux: The philosopher found his philosophy when Christ found him in 2003. I'll leave the jewel of that story for Paul to tell, but it makes me think of this quote by C.S. Lewis: "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

The philosopher I married chose the verse for Caleb's baby dedication: Proverbs 23:26. The context of the verse made me hesitant at first, but as Paul explained why he chose it, I couldn't think of a better verse for the occasion. "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways." It's an invitation for our son to watch us live out our faith, practicing forgiveness and kindness in our home and in our community, seeking God's approval rather than man's, learning to love like Christ, obeying the One who gave everything for us, growing in our knowledge of God and who we are in Him.

We have no greater hope for Caleb then for him to discover the Lord for himself. "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8). Caleb's baby dedication was a chance for us to commit to this hope.

Cool Jazz and the Gummy Bear

Dear Caleb,

Ever since we visited Michigan in July and Aunt Dani introduced you to the Gummy Bear Song, we have a cure-all for almost any unpleasant situation (it does not, however, distract you from the pain of a shot at the doctor's office - yes, we stooped so low). You are so into this song, that it will stop you mid-cry. For example, when you were having a meltdown at your birthday party, Uncle Dan pulled out the magic song on his phone.


When you're in a good mood, you start head bobbing before the first note even begins. My initial thought was that you loved the cartoon, since you are still a t.v. virgin for the most part. But your response is almost identical, even when you only hear the music. You just like to get down.

It's not just strange animated dance music that catches your attention. You also love jazz. Cool jazz, to be exact. Miles Davis style. You are such a funny kid. It amazes me that you are so laid back, so happy-go-lucky.

Here are a couple of recent shots of you.

You look a little star-struck in this photo with your Great Uncle Greg and Great Aunt Lisa. This was your first time meeting Greg, since you were still brewing when we visited them in July 2011. You were itty-bitty when you met Lisa at my cousin Melanie's wedding.

We went to the zoo for your birthday with your friend Mina and my friend Erin. Umm . . . why is no one else looking at the camera in this shot?  

 You enjoyed all the sights, especially when Grandpa took you up close.

A few weeks before the zoo, we visited the Kane County Fair. I love this shot of you and your dad. You love him an incredible amount. I don't blame you. I do too.

On a Floating Star

We have friends with a pool who invited us over for an evening of grilled food and chlorine.

It was Caleb's first time in a big pool. Not a fan. He survived, thanks to the floating star - which he found more comforting than either of his parents' arms. Most of the evening, he looked like this: 

Tennis and Teeth

Every family has its own culture. Every parent has his or her particular hobbies. As my dad recently told me, "Of course all the kids had to learn to play tennis. That's where I was going to be, so it was how we would spend time together." Not everyone in the family took to tennis as intensely as I did. Of course, most everyone else is a little bit less intense than I am in general. 

But I love the game. Still to this day. I'm not competing anymore (although I've vowed to play a 30+ tournament this year in honor of my big birthday), but I still love to pound the ball. It's my therapy, and getting to hang out with my dad while I exercise is an added bonus.

Caleb stopped by the courts the other day (he and Paul were out for a stroll). 

 

He was mostly interested in eating the ball, but he sat and watched for a little bit. What he really enjoys is pressing his face up against his junior racket and making goofy noises. Here he is with the racket, trying to get Grandma and Grandpa DeHaan to pack him in their suitcase and take him to London with them (they're at Wimbledon!).

He looks so serious in this picture, I almost don't recognize him. Most of the time he looks like this:

Yes, the shoving something in his mouth feature is an important part of his usual look. He has four teeth on top now in addition to the two guys on the bottom. I don't have a good picture of them yet, but honestly, they freak me out. First of all, they're huge. Secondly, they have prominent gaps between each tooth. You know how couples imagine their future kids as a combination of their best features? Well we were hard pressed to pick whose teeth we wanted Caleb to have since we both did our time with the orthodontist as kids. So I guess we shouldn't be surprised by this new development, but it still makes me a little sad. Oh, vanity, vanity, vanity. I still think he's the cutest kid I've ever seen - scary teeth and all.

Nine Months Old

Dear Caleb,

You won't remember this, but your Dad and I will. The nine month well child doctor's appointment is the best. No shots. We took you in last Friday together. There are a lot of unique stresses that accompany owning your own business. The upside is your Dad has been at every single one of your doctor's appointments. He is also the one who holds you when you get your shots. He can calm you as quickly as I can and, let's face it, you have a special bond.

Maybe you bonded to Dad so quickly because you look so much alike. Maybe it's just an answer to one of my prayers. Either way, you are like two peas in a pod. That means I'm in big trouble once you're big enough to help him pull off the practical joke he enjoys so much.

Back to the nine month stats:

Weight = 23.4 lbs (90%)
Length = 30.25 in. (95%)
Head Circumference = 18.5 in. (90%)


You're still topping the charts in length, increasing in head circumference, and thinning out in weight. Your weight drop is attributed to your big milestone - crawling! We learned, via the pediatrician, that the army crawl is technically crawling. Up on your hands and knees is creeping. Who knew? According to those terms, you've been crawling for the last month and a half.

There's a single step down into the living room at Grandma & Grandpa DeHaan's house. You can crawl right over it now. Every now and then you like to pause and chew on it for a few minutes. This picture is a good demonstration of the ongoing debate over your eye color. I vote hazel. Some days it looks brown. Some days it looks blue or gray or green. The reason it changes so frequently is that you have a blue patch in the upper corner of each eye, the biggest patch is on your right eye. The rest of the eye looks light brown. I'm not sure what the end result will be, but it looks neat right now.

 
Your Great Grandma Horn (who's trying to claim the "Nana" title) came to visit you in May, along with her sweetheart. We don't get to see her as often as we'd like, so it turned into a family party. The Alling family came, mostly from Indiana - Kristy drove down from GVSU, your Great Uncle Doug came from Ohio and brought his fun friend Connie (who took this picture) and Uncle Chris and Aunt Stacey were in town from Tennessee. We had so much fun. You're a little young to fully appreciate karaoke night with Uncle Doug, especially since you go to bed at 7:30, but we were rocking it out all night long.

You're changing daily, little one. It amazes me. God is growing me too. I hope that you see Christ's love in me. There's no greater joy than knowing the One who made you. This past Sunday was your baby dedication at church. As soon as I get the photos and video back, we'll put it up here.

I'll love you forever. 

Dogs & Babies

I love my dogs. I did everything I could to prepare them for the arrival of my baby - brought the blanket home with his smell on it, took them on a long walk before they met him, gave them extra attention, kept the baby at a distance so they could adjust to his sounds and smells. Being the animal lover that I am and having been the "mom" of my two dogs for seven years, I told myself that things wouldn't change that much, that I would love and care for my dogs the same way I always had.

                             I was wrong.

 Here's the thing. A baby changes everything about your life, even things that you vowed wouldn't change. Now I'm not an advocate of a parent's life revolving around their child to the point where the parent loses sight of his or her own identity and the child is smothered, but babies have a universal quality called dependency. That quality forces you to adjust your thinking, modify your schedule, put down personal pleasures, tune in to another life. If you could step outside your body and watch the process, you would see adaptation at work. Here's the thing:

Dogs adapt too.

My dogs have been great with the baby. For the most part, they keep their distance and watch him out of the corners of their eyes. They don't cuddle with him, knowing he is great at pulling all things dog: ears, hair, tail, paw (all pictures appearing to the contrary were staged). So what has changed? I don't walk them as often as I did or spend significant amounts of time petting or playing with them. They know that when I have the baby in my arms, they must steer clear of my feet. They've learned to avoid new temptations (deliciously stinky diaper pail) and wait patiently for new treats (eyes tracking baby's waiving arm with a cracker soon to fall on the floor). Every now and then, they know they will be forced to interact with the newest member of the family, especially because he loves to hold leashes.

So dog lovers and new parents, know that things won't ever be the same. In fact, they will be constantly changing from now on. You will love your child more than your dogs, but your dogs won't love you any less for it. Plus, it won't be long before that baby turns into a little person who loves dogs and all that adapting your dog had to do when baby arrived prepared your pup to be loved by one more person.

Good Morning

Dear Caleb,

Your Grandpa DeHaan has a song he likes to sing to you from the musical "Singin' in the Rain." It's an appropriate song for your Grandpa D. because he wakes up as cheerful as robin in Spring. This video isn't the greatest quality because I was trying to figure out why it was steaming up, but it has Grandpa's song in it - and you grooving to it like nobody's business. Plus, your dad keeps pestering me to post it so he can watch it at the office. So here it is:





In addition to surrounding you with music, we're
also getting you used to the tools of the family trade
- tennis rackets.

Of course, it's important that you get outside and get some fresh air too!

I hear you shakin' your music shaker in the other room, so I'm going to leave this post and join your band. Love you, kid!