Our First Family Christmas

Our first Christmas has come and gone. Three days of good family gatherings, lots of food and plenty of presents. We are left exhausted, but feeling very blessed. TheLord has been good to us.

Caleb was as cute as could be. He made the long days without much fussing at all. I am very thankful for that. He didn't really know what to do with the presents. He took off the red bows and pulled on the red tissue paper. I am thinking that my little man likes red. Haha. I love that! Anyway, he really didn't rip into the gifts. Jon helped him unwrap them and he picked and poked at a couple of the gifts as they opened them. He played with his stocking the most. It has jingle bells on it. The items in it were of no concern to him. Next year, I am sure it will be a bit more exciting for him. Santa left him a wagon. He LOVES wagon rides. I have already taken him for a ride twice since we have gotten it.

Our Duplechain family Christmas was great fun. It was one of the shortest, but everyone kept saying it feels like midnight, so I assume we all packed in our fun in that time. By 8pm. everyone was on their way home. We had delicious crawfish and corn bisque, ham, casserole, and green beans. No one went away hungry. We gave mom a desk and table set. Dad got a three piece rolling toolbox unit. He put it together and had to put the top piece on a shelf because it was so tall he couldn't see what tools were in it. Haha. He said that he has plenty of room now. The kiddos seemed very content with their gifts. All went as well as it could. Caleb got,not one, but two Vtech riding trains! We sent one to Memaw's house. She will keep it in the playroom for him and the other kiddos to play on.

The Johnson family Christmas was our last day of celebrating. We traveled to Natchitoches for the day. We had more great food: ham, stuffing, yams.. all the traditional fixings for Christmas. Yummy good. We spent the day playing with our nieces and nephews and visiting with the rest of the family. The kids were so excited with their games. They wanted to open them immediately. However, their dad said no because most of the games had small parts and Caleb was likely to get into it and choke. As cruel as it was, they were not allowed to play with their games. Jon and I will have to pick better gifts next year! We took turns taking pictures with our little man in front of the fireplace.

We waited until Jon got off of work to do our Christmas. It was evening so we decided to spend it in our jammies! Personally, my favorite kind of clothing.

That is not Harry and David items. We just used the box for his deer shaped bath towel.

Who cares what is inside. Mom, it jingles!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Baking and Christmas Tags

One of my favorite memories of Christmas is the baking days we had growing up. Tricia and Victoria would spend every Christmas with us and we would bake all day long as our relatives came by for visits. It was great fun. Now that we are all grown up and they live in Texas, we don't get to do that anymore. In fact, mom has dropped out entirely and the last few years I have baked alone. This year was different. Tricia came with her boys and we baked ALL day long- Thirteen different recipes, if I remember correctly. The only one missing was Vic. Maybe we can do it again with her one year. We made several different cookie trays to pass out the next day. Mom and couple of her sisters had a blast doing that. The picture shows just a few of our sweet treats.

Now, this is our first Christmas as a family. Jon and I are so excited for Caleb to have wonderful memories like we both have had over the years. We hope to create our own little traditions and continue the ones we love so much. What caught me off guard was the emotion attached to filling out Caleb's Christmas tags. I have wrapped presents for years,but this is the first time that I have the honor of writing "Mom and Dad". I wasn't prepared for the rush of sentiment that came with filling out a simple tag. Maybe it is because we waited so long for him to arrive. Maybe it is because I am a GIANT mush pot on any given day. Who knows, but it brought tears to my eyes. I am so proud to be a mother. People used to ask, "What is your passion?" I could never really say. I loved teaching, but I wouldn't say it was my passion. I found my passion in being a mom and wife to my wonderful husband. Nothing brings me more joy and satisfaction. I love them both so much it hurts! Anyway, I look forward to our first family Christmas and see how Caleb behaves with the presents. He has been told "NO" so many times as he continues to play with the bows. I wonder if he will even attempt to open them. We shall see! A few of our Christmas treats!!!

Braxton and Nick had fun playing in the "play center"(mom's kid's room) while we baked.

The boys also went on wagon rides through the neighb0rhood. Yes, it was cold, but they didn't seem to mind.

Tricia and I have many years worth of pictures that look very similar to this one- Head tilt and all!!!

On the Move

Caleb is on the move! Little man is crawling all over the place. It is so much fun and a little exhausting too. He loves pulling on cords. I am constantly slapping his hands and saying, "NO!". He appears to be a very determined little boy. It doesn't seem to phase him. I will not give up though. I have made it a little easier on myself and unplugged his lamp and the cd player for the time being.

He has also gotten his first haircut. I should say half a cut. He got so mad and was crying so loud, that we stopped half way through. Thankfully, his curls disguised the uneveness of his hair. I did eventually get the other half cut. I went back about three weeks later to do my own hair and we finished off his too.

We celebrated his first Thanksgiving this year. He wore the turkey bib in honor of this great day. We had Jon's family over for dinner. Unfortunately, I burned the pork tenderloins and managed to burn the onions. Oops. I can't say that has ever happened before. They are so easy. That is why I made them, in addition to Jon frying a turkey. Caleb has discovered that he likes sweet potato casserole and pecan pie (only the filling). Sweet man is an eater! He seems to enjoy whatever we put in his mouth.

As you can see, we are already taking pictures for the Christmas card. I am so proud to actually have a picture card this year. I secrectly have always wanted to do one, but didn't feel comfortable putting just Jon and me. He smiled so big. He smiles a lot. I accidently posted the pictures in the wrong order, but too bad. I am not going to reload them all. haha. I have a Santa suit he will be wearing in the next couple of weeks too!!

I am so in love with my little guy. I didn't know love could run so deep. It is both the greatest and scariest thing I have ever known. Sometimes I think it is too much for my heart to contain. He is our greatest gift. I thank God for him every day. I love watching him grow. I say that a lot, but it is so true. I don't want to miss any of it. It goes by WAY too fast.
Our Christmas card will have this photo on it. The rocker is from PaPa Dude. It was his rocker as a child. He saved it and painted it red. Caleb has the honor of getting it.

I love that his little teeth are starting to show in his pictures!

We bought him a pair of personalized long John's. I think he is adorable in them.

This is before he started throwing a fit. You can start to see the fear in his face though.

Nine Months ALREADY!

So my little man is indeed turning into a man. Haha. We have two different results for his height and weight, but I am going with the ped. dr. on this one. According to her, he is now 32 inches long and weighs 24 lbs., 4 oz. He wears a size 5 shoe already. He is strong enough to push his cousin Hayden(age 2) on a riding toy. Caleb was on his belly, with one arm moving Hayden back and forth(full arm lengths). Hayden thought it was great. He was getting a ride. I really do have a little Bam Bam. Where is little baby I brought home nine months ago?

He is learning new things weekly, even daily. For starters, he says "mama". I am sooo proud of that. Jon didn't want to believe that Caleb knew what he was saying, but he eventually had to give in. He is starting to crawl. He will crawl a few steps and then go back to the army shuffle type move. He loves the music of all kinds. He really enjoys reading his lift, flap books. He is tasting more and more of our foods. So far, he likes everything he has tasted. Heehee. Hopefully, that is a sign that he will not be a picky eater. My favorite is to watch him try to bite an apple (now, I am very careful about this). He opens up wide and tries his best to bite. His little teeth barely graze the apple leaving him with a sliver of it. He happily chews it. It is so sweet. I won't allow that for too much longer for fear that he will actually take a huge bite one day! He is actually playing with his toys. He can put his little animals on the tree and let them slide down. He likes to move his cars along the carpet and the wood floor, except he gets into trouble there. He is usually wearing socks and long pants. He has no traction on the wood floor and ends up sliding into corners he doesn't want to be in. I think it is cute, but I don't think he does. OH, he is also cutting teeth numbers 7 and 8.

His first Halloween costume was little "Elvis". He was adorable in my opinion. Memaw and PawPaw completely loved his outfit too. They requested a drive by to see it in person. He didn't wear it Halloween night because he was a bit cranky and half way through I would have had to change him into his pajamas. He hates being changed, so I decided to spare him this one since he had already worn it to the Celebration Day with Dr. Storment. It was all great fun.
Caleb and PawPaw spending a few minutes together before Memaw snatches him up.

Can you tell he has a proud Daddy?

We were playing at the park with Jake and Nick. Caleb didn't enjoy the slide or the swing, but he did have fun sitting and chewing on his strap!

I Can't Believe He Is Eight Months!

Oops. I don't know why the pictures came up first. Oh well. As you can see, he loves splashing!

This is his favorite bath toy... A red cup!

Father like son. They both love holding the remote! Aren't they so cute together?

I was shopping and found a Polo shirt that was the same as Jon's. Obviously, I couldn't resist. They wore matching outfits to church on Sunday. I know, I am such a dork. I think they are adorable.

Now, here is my post.

I can't believe my sweet boy is eight months already. I am teary-eyed as I type. It is all going by too fast. He is as beautiful as ever. He is constantly learning new things. For instance, he reaches up to be picked up and loves to grunt and say "gaga". He completely loves his bath. He splashes around like a wild man, letting out loud screams as he kicks and splashes. It is hilarious. Of all the bath toys, his favorite is a free cup we got from a store. Go figure! He loves music of all kinds, but he really enjoys the theme tune to "Mash". We watch it every afternoon and he stops whatever he is doing and listens to it until it is over. I think that is precious.

We have run into two problems at this age. I am hoping they are temporary. All of a sudden, he hates having his diaper changed. I am constantly having to distract him or simply try to handle his legs into position. He cries through it most of the time. I don't know what else to do. I haven't changed a thing in routine as for as that goes. The second issue we are trying to deal with is the church nursery. For two Sundays in a row, we have been buzzed from Sunday School and from the worship service. I think I figured it out. He usually gets a cat nap in before we leave. But, I don't think that is enough to get him through the two hours. His normal nap falls right between S.S. and worship. So, Jon and I are thinking we may have to take two cars and alternate which one of us will miss S.S. that day and just have him there for worship time. Also, they keep trying to put him in the big stroller that holds 6 or 8 kids. He hates it! He starts screaming. I don't know why. He likes when I take him for a stroll around the neighborhood. We will see what happens next time.

It seems he is growing and changing every day. I take pictures all of the time because I don't want to forget one moment of it. I feel so blessed to have him. He brings us all joy I never could have imagined.

My favorite so far!

Caleb is six months old now and weighs 20 lbs and 5 oz. He is 29 inches long. He is hardly a "little" baby, but certainly a very sweet one. He has four teeth and loves to chew on everything. He can do so much more now. He is funny and cute. This age is my favorite so far.

He interacts and plays with us more and more. He grabs and holds objects. He tries to give kisses(open mouthed) and pats our shoulders when we pick him up. He is starting to hold his own bottle. In fact, he starts to grunt if I don't get his bottle to him fast enough. He grabs that thing and sucks down his formula in minutes. I have to laugh because he sucks so hard that his eyebrows turn pink. His belly laughs melt my heart( He loves it when I zerbert his cheeks.) I love the way he practically bounces out of his crib with excitement when we go to get him in the mornings. He is getting stronger too. He is sitting up better with each day. I think it is too cute how he likes to prop his legs up when reclining with us. He also likes to hang one leg over the edge of his carseat when we are riding. He is a happy baby. He is easy going and is a blesses me daily. No matter what is going on with me personally, I look into those beautiful blue eyes and that precious smile and all is well.


Caleb's first experience with a sippy cup. He didn't really like it at first. We are still working on it.

Caleb's new toy is an exersaucer. He really likes it. As you can see, the dogs like playing with him too.

He figured out that he can bounce in it. He looks like a crazy man when he gets those legs going.

We have moved onto baby foods. So far, we have tried squash, carrots, green beans and peas.

Growing, Growing, Growing!!!!

Caleb is now five months old and is growing like a weed. This month has been a big month for him. He has learned to roll over from his back to his stomach. The only problem is that he hates being on his tummy. Once he realizes he is on his belly, he starts hollering for me to turn him over again. He has not yet figured out how to roll back to starting position. Haha.

He has also started eating by spoon for three of his meals. His only choice right now is oatmeal, but he seems to completely enjoy it. He moans and grunts with every bite (MMMM-mmmmm). It is too cute. I have to keep up with him too. He is a fast eater. Next week, we will try squash.

Caleb has also cut his first tooth. I can feel it more than see it because his tongue stays over it. Little man has been chewing on everything he can put his little hands on. We have been waiting a while for it to finally pop up. We immediately bought a baby toothbrush and toothpaste. However, after reconsidering, I decided to use the little finger brush that came with the paste. I will eventually move towards a real brush. For now, the finger brush works fine. I was afraid that he would fight me on it, but (like everything else) he took in stride. Go Caleb!!!

Our last visit with the doctor had him weighing in at 17ibs, 15 oz. and his length was 27 1/4". However, that was a month ago. I can assure you that he is bigger than that now! My little sweetpea! Oh how we love him. Chilling out after his bath.

His first tooth brushing experience. He did well!

Always the happy boy!

His first spoon feeding. He wasn't quite sure what to do!

Looking a little confused by the new experience!

Caleb's First Vacation

Caleb's first vacation was to Panama, Florida. We have Tricia to thank for our wonderful time there. She had a free condo on the beach loaned to her for the week. We loaded up two cars as full as can be and took off for some fun and sun. It was just us ladies ( Memaw and Mimi, Tricia, Victoria, Karla and me) with the four boys. It was a wonderful time. The weather was perfect and the water was clear. It took all of us women to maintain the boys. One wanted to stay at the pool. One stayed in the ocean, and one liked to spend his time in the sand. The two babies, of course, had naps and feedings in between. It all worked out really well and everyone had a very nice time.

As for Caleb, his first time in the pool was much like his baths. He didn't really have a real reaction. He seemed as relaxed as ever. I am thankful he wasn't screaming, but would have liked to see some smiles. I loved his first little swimsuit. Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Tommy bought it for him when he was born. They said it was so he could swim in their pool. We will give it another try this summer when he is a bit older. I am hoping he will have some real fun with it then.


Our boys on the beach!

Tricia and her two little boys!

Caleb in his first floatie!

Caleb's first swimsuit! I think he is adorable.

This picture was taken when we had the return home BBQ for Tricia. I thought is was great because all three are smiling and lookiing my way. YAY!

Caleb

Caleb's First Easter

Today is Caleb's first Easter. I was so excited. I picked up the cutest Easter basket I could find. Filled it with tub toys, a stuffed rabbit and a few pieces of candy that Jon and I happily ate and are still eating. I got him an oh-so-cute little duck, but the one thing I didn't get was a new Easter outfit. Mostly because he has so much clothes already. I didn't to buy another outfit that he will wear once or twice and outgrow. I did have a pair of ears to put on him for the picture, but Jon objected to it, so no ears! I am sure Caleb will thank him later for that one! haha

Our Easter weekend was nothing to really write about except that it is his first. Jon had to work all weekend, so no big dinners or family outings. Memaw and Pawpaw came by for a short while yesterday, but it was just a short visit. Today, we gave him his Easter basket and took a couple of pictures of us with him in front of our only tree blooming at the moment. Our yard is bland to say the least. Anyway, a few pictures and Jon rushed off to work and I rushed off to church.

Church was really good. In some ways I am happy that we didn't do too much. It allowed me to focus on the real reason for Easter. I have to say that I was truly excited about worship today. Excited that we serve a risen king. A Lord that is alive and eager to love us and work in our lives. We are so blessed. He overwhelms me!

The weather is horrible at the moment. A terrible storm is on the way. I am getting nervous about being on this computer. This is it for now. Hope everyone had a great Easter!!!

Caleb at two months

I just love watching Caleb grow and learn new things. Just recently, he has found his hands. He sucks on them every now and then. It is very cute to watch. Especially since his movements are still a bit jerky. It takes him a while to find his hand once he has moved it.

Now, if I can just get the boy to nap more than an hour at a time. He wakes up and refuses to go down again. We go round and round trying to extend the nap,but I am afraid I have not been very successful. This confuses me because up until recently he was a good napper. What happened to my little boy? I do not know.

I do know that he is very alert and is getting stronger by the day. I bought him the kick and play paino. He loves that. His feet never stop. He likes to be held on your shoulder. Until recently, he would have none of that. I am thankful for it. I like holding him on my shoulder.

Memaw can't get enough of him. She came to visit the other day and while I ran an errand, this is what she did. Caleb took his entire nap on her shoulder. I think she may have spoiled him. They both look very content. haha.

Tricia, do you remember this little vest? It will probably be the only time he wears it.

Take me fishing Pawpaw!

Off The Charts!

Caleb turned 8 weeks on Monday. He had his two month checkup this week. The nurse and the doctor both informed me that my son is off the growth charts. Actually, his head is right in the middle, but the rest of his measurements are just way out there. What else should I expect when his daddy is 6'4"? Anyway, he now weighs 14 pounds and 7 ounces. He is a grand total of 25 1/2 inches long. That would explain why some of his three to six month clothes are too short. He is adorable regardless.

He likes to suck on his hand during tummy time and is smiling and playing more and more all the time. It is so much fun to see. He also experienced his first Sunday at Church. He did very well, but I was a bit tearful having to leave him with people he did not know. It all worked out in the end.

Karla and the boys came for dinner one night recently. Amber and Cody came too. I made some of Tricia's famous lasagna. Yummy. The boys particularly loved being able to hold caleb. Jake even got to feed him. Hopefully, we can get the entire Duplechain crew together the next time. I still don't have a picture of Uncle Brian with him yet.

This was Caleb's first Sunday outfit.

He is a wiggly worm!

Fun With My Son

My sweet son will be 7 weeks old Monday. He weighs 13.10 pounds. As I sat in the doctor's office, I noticed another baby boy that looked to be Caleb's size. He was sitting up and batting at toys on his mother's lap. I believe he was around six months. I can hardly imagine what Caleb will look like at six months. He will definetly look older! I am sure of that. Ha.

I can not tell you how much fun I am having with my little man. It tickles me to watch him learn new things and see him grow. He changes daily! I look forward to being there to witness and be apart of all his "firsts". Right now he is smiling and cooing more and more. He responds and gives me his oh so sweet little grin that just makes my heart happy. We have a great time together.

Rocky and Bullwinkle seem to be curious about him. They want to see what is going on at all times. They are surprisingly gentle with him. They lick his face and sniff his diaper every now and then, but other than that, they are sweet to him. I am so thankful for that! Here are few more pictures of my beautiful boy.
Rocky and Bullwinkle are always in the middle of whatever we are doing.

We were singing "The Wheels On The Bus". He likes it!