Caleb,
I thought last month you were going through so much developmentally, but this month you've just exploded with new skills! You said your first word! We were sitting in the living room playing and I said, "Caleb say Momma" and you said, "Mmm momma" and haven't stopped since! You are so incredibly smart! The next day we were coming back from Grandma and Grandpa Benson's house and you said "Dada" You'll say Dada, but not nearly as much as you say Momma. I love it and it melts my heart.
You're officially mobile and started crawling everywhere! You love exploring everything around you and you're definitely keeping me on my toes. You can push yourself into a sitting position from crawling and are getting better control of your body. You love crawling over to the sliding glass door and watching the dogs outside. You can pull yourself to standing using anything in your reach and love to let go when we help you stand. You can balance freely for quite a while and you love when you fall forward or backward and we're there to catch you. We lowered your crib this month too so you don't try to climb out. You are so determined to stand on your own and if you could, you'd stand all day long and practice balancing.
You cut two new teeth this month! Both of your top lateral incisors cut through and you're right central incisor is working on cutting through. Overall, you're a pretty good teether. You have your moments where you're fussy, but I would be too if I was teething!
You learned how to give high fives this month and are starting to understand basic questions. If you're holding something and I say, "Give the ball/block/cup/etc to Mommy" you take whatever you're holding and put it in my hand. You started mimicking what we're doing, like sticking out your tongue or making noises with your mouth. You can give kisses when asked, although you keep your mouth wide open and sometimes slip us your tongue!
We flew to Texas this month to meet your cousin Gavin and spend time with your Uncle Greg and Aunt Danielle. While in Texas we went to the Dallas Zoo and got to hand feed carrots to giraffes! It was amazing, but you were a little unsure about it. We also experienced a pretty crazy storm the last night we were in Texas. You weren't phased one bit by the thunder or lightning.
You started sleeping a little better this month, usually only waking up once or twice most nights. I stopped nursing you to sleep at night because it was taking anywhere from an hour or two to get you down. You adjusted really well to this and now it only takes 20 minutes to get you down! We hope we can eventually lay you down awake in your crib and you'll fall asleep on your own. One thing at a time......
You absolutely love a Volvo commercial that's playing on TV right now. Anytime it comes on and you hear the song, you stop what you're doing to watch. I did some research and found out the woman singing is Audra Mae and the song is "Feeling Good" I'll play the song if you're fussy or crying and most of the time it does the trick to calm you down.
I can't believe in just 2 short months we'll be celebrating your 1st birthday. Time is going by so fast and while I don't like that you're growing up so fast, I'm so excited for the adventures that are in store for us and watching your personality develop. I love you my sweet boy and tell you I do a thousand times a day. You bring so much joy to me and fill my soul.
Momma
