38 weeks - Walks, stair climbing, picnics, playgrounds.

Wow! Lots of pictures and wonderful things this week! Let's start off with the amazing weather we've been having and how some of the moms were able to get together and walk in the Wissahickon. After a long winter hiatus, we have finally joined the babies together again. We now have two 1 year old babies in the group! I can't believe how fast a year has gone. 

Just waiting for Daddy to get home...

We've been taking lunch outside on the deck when the weather is sunny, and Cal is a big fan. He loves to hold his apple tightly and take big bites and fill his cheeks like a chipmunk.

This weekend Matt and I took Cal to a nice grassy area in Chestnut Hill and ate some pizza and watermelon. Cal only ate watermelon. Yum.

Someone LOVES to stand in his crib and scream, scream, scream. Happy screams of course.

And now, for Cal's latest trick, he can scale our entire set of stairs, but only with his tongue sticking out.  

Cal's favorite silly daddy.

Party in the crib!

Lastly, we went to the playground with a few of Cal's friends and found a neat little space for the babies to congregate and tell each other their secrets.

Fun with Mommy and Cal.

37 weeks - A trip to Raleigh

Hello Mr. Happy!

Over Easter weekend, Matt was had traveled to North Carolina for work, and I was going to bring Cal and meet up with him and our friends Kevin, Ponni, and Sean in Raleigh. Flying, of course, because I definitely not make Cal ride in the car that long by myself. Off  we went, and Cal did great! He was very talkative the entire flight, which may have sounded like loud squealing to some, but he was so pleasant and fun! Once we got to Raleigh, he was all tuckered out and took himself a little nap before his friend Anjali came home from daycare. Most of their time spent together consisted of Anj chasing him around the coffee table, and him trying to crawl away... for whatever reason. They often went back and forth squealing and eventually they became buddies as we made them ride in the double stroller. We took them to the North Carolina Zoo, such a fun day! They even napped on the drive there and on the drive home while we listened to This American Life on NPR. Thanks babies!

"You're kidding!"

Asleep in the Ergo carrier on a long walk. Love those sweet little lashes.

Matt and Anjali playing around.

Kevin pushing the two babes through the park, and Ponni and I in the background.

Delicious dinner that Ponni made! So many wings!

Sweet little sleepy babe.

36 weeks - La la la la - Oh there's my tongue!

Forgive me, I'm a little behind this week, and from here on out I will only be doing monthly pictures instead of weekly pictures. Cal wants to play with the blocks instead of sit by them. So for my sanity I will just post pictures from the week. 

We met up with Cal's cousins - Lena, James and Cole at the Trolley Car Diner last week, and had some delicious ice cream - Graham Slam flavor of course - my favorite pregnancy craving, and still a favorite post pregnancy. Cal can't have any yet, but he still enjoyed the ride. Here he is with our beautiful niece Lena.

Look at those meaty legs!

Cal has never been a baby to stick out his tongue, but one morning he decided to do some experimenting. That little tongue has never looked so cute!

Here is a video to document his new ability. "Cal, show me your tongue."

We walked to the seminary nearby that has a great grassy area - stick and pinecone free - with lots of space to crawl around. 

Bottom left - "Oh come on Mom." Bottom right - "Look, I can whistle!"

The favorite part of my week was this little diddy, titled, LA LA LA. This is the first consonant sound Cal has made and I love it!! Again, look at that cute tongue!

35 weeks - Stair Climbing

Cal loves his tambourine. He jingles it around the house and in the car...maybe he will be a musical little guy? Goodness knows he's not getting any of that talent from Matt or I. 

Godzilla Cal!

Not a lot to share this week, just a few pictures of our happy Cal. He is cruising all around, climbing stairs (see video), eating broccoli (which he used to dislike), covering every inch of his crib at night (sleeping on his back, side, stomach, rolling over everywhere) and using a very LOUD, high pitched yelling voice.

Look at those green eyes! Where did those come from??

Cal really does like feeding himself broccoli, and I try to feed him some pea puree between bites. It's quite a messy process.

I love my morning snuggles with Cal bear. He's so sweet in his little footie PJ's and likes to crawl between Matt and I going back and forth, smiling in our faces. 

One of his many sleeping positions!

This week we went to our first music class! It's at the studio where the new mom's group was held, and it was so fun! We had a few friends that we knew in the class, and many new people we hadn't met before. Cal was immediately intrigued by the guitar, and studied it the entire time. The teacher even chuckled a few times as she watched him because of how serious he was about what she was doing. 

Lastly,  a little side by side of Cal and my Grandpa Callahan. I definitely see a resemblance. Even if the resemblance is not of me, I'll take it. He's not all Roth! :)

34 weeks - Playing Outside!

This week, we had some of my Mom friends and Cal's baby friends over for a fun "crafternoon." This is the second one we have had at our house, with the first one being sewing baby pants out of a pair of socks and this time we made sensory bags.

One of the finished products below. So easy to make and fun for the babies to touch and squish.

Cal and his friend Ella. She's going to be 1 year old this month! Despite Cal's facial expression, they really do like each other. :)

Still pulling himself up on everything, finding something new to explore each day. Love those chunky thighs!!

Oooohh yes, we've had some great weather lately! When we moved to our house in Philadelphia, I loved everything about it, but felt a little sad thinking about the size of our yard. I know it's petty, and I should be thankful that we have a home on a quiet street, that is walkable to lots of great restaurants and shops, so really I shouldn't complain at all. But, I will say this, my backyard as a child was so wonderful with a fruit orchard, a large garden, a basketball hoop, a long driveway where I learned to ride a bike, a treehouse that my brother built, and a wooden swing hanging from the tallest tree. I can't tell you how many hours I spent outside just exploring, digging, searching for gophers with my Dad, playing catch, shooting hoops and loving every second of it.  And as it goes, if you had a great childhood, you visualize something similar for your own child. In Philly (city limits), it is nearly impossible to find a big yard and not pay a fortune,  so what we sacrificed in a yard, we are blessed with our home. I try to remember that there are great playgrounds, parks, grassy areas all within walking distance, but still have a hard time letting go of having our own large green space. So for now, we will enjoy our small grassy area in the front and back, enough for our 8 month old boy to see and learn about the outdoors, and be thankful for all that it is, because Cal doesn't know the difference between a small and large yard, and he is joyful in just being outside. 

This was Cal's first time exploring the front yard, and there are many things to touch, taste and see! Here he is examining some pine cones.

So delicious, right Cal?

I recently went to a consignment sale with my friend Angela (Mom of Lexie) and we both found matching ride-on/walkers. $3! We're excited to get our two little ones together for fun rides this spring/summer. Perfect for our little path. He can't really go anywhere without me pushing him along, but he loves to move!

"I found the perfect stick!"

This picture reminds me of my Grandpa Callahan. He would generally be found using a wire of some sort to pick his teeth when we would be sitting outside in his yard. Cal thinks sticks will do the trick. His face even resembles Grandpa Callahan in this one. I need a picture to do a side by side picture comparison. 

Lastly, I was able to get this great tunnel for $6 at the same consignment sale mentioned above. I wasn't sure if he would be interested in climbing through, or if he wouldn't understand the concept. So I positioned myself on the opposite end, and he quickly became motivated to go through to the other side. I love watching him discover new things.

"Is that you Mommy?"