Magic Moment

Videoing everyday activities of your baby is easy to do with a smart phone. Sometimes magic happens. This, my friends, pure magic. Caleb is sixteen months old today. Those are horsey noises you hear and that move - first time performance.

Best Babysitter Ever

Caleb visits a special friend two days a week. Her name is Miss Tomi, or as Caleb pronounces it: Tom-a. Miss Tomi is a gifted teacher who loves kids, especially my kid. She lets him do all kinds of fun things. Like this:

Who do you think is more fun? The lady at the bottom of the hill saying, "Hold on with two hands." "Be careful." or the lady at the top of this hill saying "1,2,3 here we go!" That's why Caleb is always excited to visit Tom-a. She's the lady at the top of the hill.

This is what he looks like when I drop him off for Tom-a time. Oh, what fun to be had! Tom-a has encouraged Caleb's dance moves, which he practices with Grandpa. Grandpa and Caleb dance every single day - to the same songs. It looks a little something like this (I couldn't resist, Dad. Sorry!):

Tom-a also encourages Caleb's love for books. He recently became very attached to what I happened to be reading The Life of Pi. For a week straight, he would sit flipping through the pages for 20 minutes straight. 

What would we do without our Tomi? We love her! World, you're lucky I'm even posting this. Now the word is out and people are going to try to steal her from us. You can't have her.  

The Pursuit of Happiness

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

I can't help it. I've grown to love the Constitution. Law school has a way of doing that. Lately, I've been thinking about this particular sentence, even more - a particular phrase. The pursuit of happiness. Why must happiness be pursued? The founders of our country didn't admonish us to pursue life or liberty. But happiness? Happiness must be chased.

It is elusive.

To me, irony and the beauty of God live in this sentence. The irony is the Creator gave you the inalienable right to pursue happiness, while the answer to happiness, the only lasting source of happiness, lies in the Creator.

The beauty of God is that He should stand ready to embrace us even after our hearts have thrown themselves at every passing fancy, hoping a material thing, status, job, applause or person will satisfy their hunger for happiness, will give them rest from searching so they can enjoy life.

The Creator didn't send us out on a hopeless course. The journey ends where it began.

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

A Sudden End

Against my wishes, my body and Caleb have decided that we are done nursing. 

It started with a restless morning. Caleb was busy chattering away and pointing at things instead of getting to the task at hand. I redirected him. He took a few gulps and got busy climbing off the bed. "Child, I am not chasing you around to make this happen. Do you want any more?" "Nah-nah." 

I tried again that afternoon, knowing that skipping my only nursing session of the day would mean my body would be sending a Cease-The-Supply signal. Same routine. A few sucks, and on to more interesting things.

 

The kids brain is on fire. I can watch him thinking. It's amazing, but distracting. While comforting, nursing is not interesting, or at least not as interesting to Caleb as pulling at the threads in his quilt or rearranging his diapers.

Unlike the previous day, he was ready to nurse the next morning. He settled in close and put his little hand on my arm. He was on for a few minutes. Then, hysterical crying. 

The well is dry, my friends. 

He was too sad to keep trying, which - you mommas know - is the only way to tell your body to make more. 

Don't worry, he cheered up in about four seconds and decided that he had other things to do. He also sucked down several sippy cups of good 'ole fashioned cow's milk throughout the day. He is just shy of fifteen months. 

I can't say I'm devastated. I've enjoyed nursing Caleb and was hoping to make it to at least 18 months. But it's easier to share the job of parenting when either parent has the tools to complete the task at hand. And, as much as Paul loves to help in every possible way, he could not nurse the baby.

Nursing is over. As crazy as it sounds, that means Caleb's one step closer to independence. As I held him in my arms this morning, with the sun filtering through the clouds, making his skin glow, I put my face against his and inhaled. I smelled his baby-ness, felt the softness of his cheek and then pulled my head away to look into his brown eyes. He held my gaze and then burst out laughing. He won't remember these moments, but I will.     

  

Nothing Happens . . . Then Everything Happens

For the past 3.5 years we have lived in a place we love.

My parent's basement. 

We've loved it for many reasons. The biggest, of course, are the two amazing people we get to see every single day. Which also means Caleb gets to see them every single day. They are the most generous, gracious, easy-going people I know. Their faith in Jesus Christ is evident in even the smallest details of their lives: from resolving conflict, to serving others even when they have a million things to do, to taking time to listen and share.

Our journey has taken some turns we didn't expect, including the latest one: a house of our own.

It's old.

It's a foreclosure.



It's perfect for us.

  

Beware Political Pollsters

'Tis the season for politics and polls. This is how we celebrate at our house:

The Last Few Pounds

Women and weight, usually a bad combination. Except, of course, when you're pregnant. Then you check in to make sure you're gaining weight, that the little human life growing inside your body is getting enough of everything he needs to thrive. In fact, you might even find yourself thinking "I should eat that extra slice of pizza for my hungry little baby." No? Am I really the only one?

The temptation to justify my overeating was strongest during pregnancy. People encourage you to eat, comment on how hungry you must be, reinforcing the misconception that growing a baby includes growing a second adult-sized stomach. Not true. So what kept me from stuffing my face during those nine months? The cold hard facts, people. Those first three months - no additional calories needed. The next six months, only 300 extra calories a day.

I can eat 300 calories in two minutes. They look like this:

Despite a head full of knowledge about the slight increase in caloric needs during pregnancy, and exercising most mornings, I managed to gain 45 lbs. That's 10 lbs over the heavier recommended gain for women of average weight (25-35 lbs), and I could have easily packed on an additional 30 lbs if I hadn't tried to reign myself in.

I gave myself nine months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Logical, I know. Except, I forgot to factor in that it's ten times harder to lose weight than gain weight. After the initial and exhilarating loss of thirty pounds (breastfeeding-induced melting), which happened by about month two, fifteen pounds remained. I didn't actively try to lose weight because I was still nursing. The next five pounds took about four more months to lose.

So what's left? Those darn 10 lbs I should have never gained in the first place! No amount of breastfeeding is going to make those inches decrease, just math. Fewer calories going in than those getting burned.

So where am I at today? I have two more pounds to go to greet my pre-pregnancy weight. It's been fourteen months. Did you catch that? Fourteen months.

Where am I mentally? Resolved. The finish line is in sight.

Now let's just see if I can make it there before the holidays ;)

Parenting Philosophies and Nursing Past a Year

I believe in attachment theory. Developmentally, it's important for a child to attach to a caregiver early on. I don't, however, practice attachment parenting (or at least my understanding of attachment parenting). Here's what our parenting has looked like so far:

Sleeping

I think of myself as the guardian of my child's sleep. I followed the general principles of Baby Wise from the moment I brought my little guy home. Contrary to what many critics believe, this is not a "cry it out" approach. Rather, it's a pattern-establishing-cry-distinguishing plan. By feeding baby every three hours (and making sure it's a full feeding), you gain the confidence of knowing your baby is not crying because he's hungry. In the earliest months, this leaves two other basic options: (1) dirty diaper or (2) tired. Over time, you learn what your baby's different cries mean.

Granted, I didn't follow the rules of Baby Wise strictly. I let Caleb nap in his swing, and we would rock him to sleep in the earliest months. But I was all about establishing the overall pattern: eat-awake-sleep. He learned how to put himself to sleep instead of drinking/nursing himself to sleep.

Nursing
This was very hard for me in the beginning. (You can read about it here if you're interested). The progression of my thoughts on nursing : "I hate this. Why would anyone do this?" to "I just want to get through the next feeding" to "I think I can make it to 6 months" to "When did this become so effortless?" to "I don't want this to end." Really, I thought I would stop nursing when Caleb got teeth. And boy, did he get teeth. But I found we could manage by changing position.

The biggest aid in coming this far has been the decrease in the number of feedings. I would have worn out long ago if I had to continue nursing him every three hours, like I did the first few months. Now that he's thirteen months, I only nurse him when he wakes up in the morning and before he goes down at night. Hands down, the attachment parenting part I could never, ever do is demand feeding. I'm not judging whether it's good or bad, only that it would be mentally and emotionally impossible for this momma. Plus, since I never demand fed Caleb, he doesn't expect that he can get it whenever he wants. He knows when he'll get to nurse, and I like to think that gives him comfort as he manages the rest of the day on solid food.

One of the side effects of the scheduled approach - at least with my baby - has been that he does not race over to me and start grabbing at my boobs or my shirt. That, my friends, makes me feel better about nursing him as long as I'd like. While I'd like to think of myself as socially progressive in the area of public breast feeding, it is just weird to see kids older than one nursing in public. Since Caleb doesn't demand to nurse, and we've built it into our schedule, I have avoided those awkward moments.  

Riding in the Moby in the windy city.

Cuddling/Carrying

I believe in cuddling. Period. I don't think it spoils the child, only makes them feel loved and accepted. Caleb knows how to give hugs and he's working on giving kisses. He's pretty busy running around playing with his cars these days, so I'm glad I didn't hold back when he was immobile. I also carried Caleb regularly in the Moby when he weighed less than 20 lbs. Now, I put him in the Kelty backpack carrier. It always calms him down, and it frees up my hands. It's a win-win.

Cuddling with Paul's cousin, Bradley.

New moms get lots of advice on parenting. The best advice I got came from my childhood friend, Becky, who has two kids. She said, "Laura, just do what works best for you. You love your kid. That's all he really needs." That's a good word, my friend, a good word. 

Backpacking Baby

We took Caleb backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula this summer. He was ten months old. I'm not the most experienced backpacker in the world. I grew up in a Chicago suburb with parents who went car camping once a year with our church. Total city slickers.

While I was used to the idea of loving the outdoors - since I considered myself an animal-and-nature-loving tomboy - I didn't really know what that meant. Marrying an Eagle Scout from a town of 2,000 who hunts, fishes, builds fires, and can forage in the woods changed my concept of "outdoors" and "camping" completely. When he suggested that we take the entire family (baby and two dogs) backpacking, I couldn't quite wrap my brain around it. He and I had gone, of course, but never with the dogs or the baby. Why not try them on the same trip?

Well, we survived. To prove it, I thought I'd write this blog and give myself some reminders for the next go around:

• The younger the baby, the better. I carried Caleb in a Kelty baby pack designed for backpacking. If he were older, he could have run around on his own two feet. If he were younger (and lighter), I would have carried him around in the Moby. If you can carry on the front, that gives you much more packing space on your back. As it turned out, Paul carried in all of our supplies. I had the baby and a few extras. Another reason a younger baby is better? You can set them down without them crawling off into unknown dangers. Need another reason? If you're only nursing, you don't have to pack any extra food.
• Sleep, the biggest battle. For the most part, our little guy was a happy camper. He didn't seem to mind the bugs, incredible heat, sitting on my back for hours at a time, and not having a single toy. What he couldn't stand: not having his normal sleep setting. No crib. No fan. No dark room. We did all we could to get him to sleep, blocking the sun with our sleeping bags, singing, fanning him, cooling him off in the lake. It was a bust. Plus, we could hardly sleep because we were constantly worried about him rolling off the bed (we backpacked to rustic cabins - no running water, no toilets, no electricity). We need to find a solution to this, a portable bed for baby that is super light weight?                     
• Bring a glow stick. This entertained our child for at least two hours. 
• Love the dirt. Let your child play in the grass, dirt, water, whatever you have. This is the time when they start to learn to love God's creation. Keep a close eye on them, but let them explore as much as possible. 
• Plan short hikes. Paul and I are pretty ambitious when we set out. This time, our longest hike was five miles. Even that was a little on the long side. Next time three max. 
• Always, always, always bring the hammock. 

I hope Caleb loves the outdoors as much as we do. There's nothing like backpacking to remember how little you need to survive, especially when you're surrounded by the people and animals you love most. 

Walk to Me, Baby!

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!

Hello

Lots of Laughs

There are few sounds as beautiful as a child's laugh. Think how much richer our lives would be if we delighted in every simple pleasure. 




p.s. Don't worry, honey. I was aware that he had a drumstick in his mouth, and I could feel where it was and knew that my movement wouldn't send it flying into the back of his throat. It only looks scary from the video. Breathe, breathe. See? Everything is ok;)

First Foods

The irony of life. So much thought goes into what baby eats, while the adults sit around munching on hot dogs and chips! Here's Caleb's first taste of anything other than breast milk:

The first feeding session didn't last very long. But we stopped the video camera too soon, and the progression looked a little something like this:

                                  
Thank you Becky, Kevin, Clayton and Brooke for the high chair! It's perfect for our space, and we are going to put it to good use.

Here are some recent highlights in the life of a six month old:


Caleb got a visit from his Grandma Haske when she had a lay-over at O'Hare airport.

 A Curious George monkey sweatshirt arrived in the mail from Aunt Stacey and Uncle Chris.

Still spending lots of time doing his favorite activity - jumping!

Six Months

The joy this child brings to my life is indescribable. Thank you, Lord! What a gift.

Jump, Jump, Jump Around

Babies teach us the joy of new discovery. Today, Caleb learned that he can jump. Once only a toy haven, the jumper is finally getting a chance to do what it does best.

Does it look like he’s doing a jig to you? The Quinn side of Paul’s family are proud Irish folk, so it’s very possible.

The First Born at Four Months

Happy birthday to Caleb’s Grandma Haske! This Caleb update is for you and inspired by my friend Lindsay, who does a much better job keeping her family and friends informed about her little guy. So I’m following her lead and her format to bring you this:

Size: Caleb had his four month check up on December 23rd. He weighed in at 18 lbs 14 oz, which puts him in the 95% for weight. My arms are in the best shape of my life, and I’m pretty sure I can bench press and dead lift more than I could when I was going through Belmont’s training program for the tennis team. Caleb added three inches to his length, officially putting him at 27 inches long (90%). He is wearing 9 month to 12 month sized clothing and will be out to his last snap in his Bumgenius one-size cloth diapers before we know it. I was hoping the cloth diapers would last until it was time for him to start potty training. That was a crazy thought. It’s not going to happen. He’s growing so fast, he might have to wear Depends.

Likes: Like most kids, Caleb likes the things we don’t want him to like; namely t.v. We try to keep him away from the flashing box, but if he catches a glimpse, he’ll twist his head around and fuss to get a good view. He loves smiling, slobbering on things and spitting. He thinks it’s hilarious to make bubbles with his lips and soak his shirt. I do not think it’s hilarious to have to change his outfit five times a day, so I usually slap a bib on him, which saves us from multiple changes. His favorite song is the five little ducks song, which he discovered when our friend Leslee brought him a fisher price seat with a toy that played the tune. I googled the song to learn the lyrics and now we make music together – I sing the words and he makes his toy play the music.

 Dislikes: Taking a bottle, tummy time, being moved from view of the t.v.

Feeding: It’s hard to imagine this child ever had a problem nursing. Now nursing is the only way he wants to eat. At the beginning, when nursing was so painful, pumping and bottle feeding was a relief and something I did daily. Sometimes twice a day. Then it happened. Nursing got easier and less painful, and before I knew it, I had left bottle feeding out altogether. It was a hassle to pump and bottle feed when I could nurse him faster and with less mess. When I headed out for my December book club meeting (which goes late into the night with a fun group of ladies), I left a bottle with Paul. After a few hours of a screaming baby, Paul called me during book club. Caleb refused to eat. For the next few weeks he refused a bottle. But, after researching some strategies and devising my own variation, he is now taking a bottle – reluctantly, and not without letting me know that he dislikes it – but just in time for my January bookclub.

Sleeping: Caleb has been sleeping through the night since he was nine weeks old (don’t hate me other mamas with hungry babies). One of the advantages of being so chubby and on a semi strict Babywise schedule is that Caleb is a great sleeper. Nowadays he goes down to bed at 7:30 pm and wakes up at 7:30 am. He takes a long nap in the morning and a fairly long nap in the afternoon. In between he’s busy playing and being a baby.

Milestones: He has rolled over once, so we think it was a happy accident rather than a milestone. He’s great at arching back, which almost eliminates the need to roll over as he can contort his body well enough to get a good look at whatever catches his fancy. The family jokes that he has inherited the loud DeHaan voice. He makes all kinds of funny noises, including something that sounds a bit like a growl, and all at a very loud volume.

That’s the four month update on Baby Haske. Happy birthday, Momma Barb!