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?"

33 weeks - Sunny Weekend Adventure

This little sweetie is not wanting to stay put for pictures of any kind, but I will still keep trying. Especially when he makes a face as cute as this!

Last weekend we went to New Hope, which is a great little town with lots of shops, restaurants, paths along the river and sunny weather (!!) It's about 45 minutes away from us, and we are so glad we decided to take the adventure and check it out. We ate lunch at a BBQ place, and if you know Matt and I we are always in search of yummy pulled pork. We stopped at a French Bakery and ate something called a Raspberry Tulip, which may be my new favorite dessert. 

At dinner I decided to give Cal a lemon for the first time, he didn't mind it, but what I didn't think about was that after he was done holding it, he would have lemon juice on his hands... no big deal right? Right... until he rubbed his eyes and started screaming!! Ahh... first time Mom alert. We went to the bathroom right away and washed his hands and he recovered quickly. 

We stopped at a super fun soap and lotions shop where they had this cute little scuba diver that had moving flippers when it was wound up. No, we didn't buy it, but I'm sure Cal would have liked us to!

Have I mentioned that Cal LOVES his Daddy? Every day when Matt gets home from works he kicks his legs and starts giggling. I think it's the best part of the day for both of them. 

Cal realized that when the car is moving, I am up front driving. Here he is keeping an eye on me.  

Lastly, Cal really wants to walk. Standing isn't good enough anymore. So here he is doing some walking for the first time.

32 weeks - Spring Weather = Swings! and.. standing?

This week we had some great weather... sun and temperatures above 40 degrees! Grandma and Grandpa Roth came to visit and we decided it would be a good idea to go to the playground with his cousins. This was Cal's first time there since he was only a few weeks old, and at that point he fell asleep on a blanket during a picnic. We started out with Cal and his cousin Cole sitting in the dirt playing with sticks and leaves, which then ended up in his mouth but thinking I was stealthy and got them all out I wasn't too worried. Then, the following day I found a few leaf pieces in his poop. Fiber, right? Next, since he thinks he's a big kid, we decided to put him in the little swing. We couldn't wait to see his expression when he went on the swing for the first time, and it was even better than we could have expected. See video below.

Cal figured out crawling fairly quickly, but decided that wasn't enough of a challenge. He started pulling himself up in his crib! Now he wants to pull up on anything he can find... tables, rocking chair, Matt's back, my face, doesn't matter. He's so excited and proud of his latest achievement. He also thinks it's pretty funny so he just laughs and laughs each time he does it in his crib. We had a rough week of sleep due to his excitement about his new ability and waking up to practice in the middle of the night, but now he's back to normal and we're making sure to get a lot of practice in during the daylight hours instead.

We went to a different playground later in the week and he loved crawling around and watching the big kids play around on the swings and other equipment.

Thanks Val Davis for the super cute sweater!

These are a few of my favorite faces. He's such a sweetie.

31 weeks (7 months) - Surprise trip to Chattanooga!

Our dear friend Dr. Kim Eckert, who lives in Chattanooga, recently published a book and was having a book launch to promote her book and bring awareness to the community. She had no idea we were going to surprise her by coming to Chattanooga, and her reaction at the event was priceless. We were so grateful to have the opportunity to share in her joy and success in person, and also had a great time visiting with our friends and church family at Bridge.

Cal's traveling style has changed a bit since his last flight at 4 1/2 months. He now will not nap anywhere but his crib, stroller, pack n play, or tent. So that means a wide awake baby for hours on end during the day! Surprisingly enough, he was still his cheerful self with little to no tears, even though he was utterly exhausted from having zero naps. What do you think you are Cal, a big kid or something?

Cal made quick friends in Chattanooga, especially with Tommy, one of Kim's sweet children.

Also, we stayed with our dear friends Dylan and Meaghan. Cal loved all the attention.

I was able to meet up with my two best DuPont friends, Sharon and Julie and this was the first time our babies could all meet! Julie and Sharon had their babies a day apart, and Cal was born two months later. I'd say they had a great time playing together and moving all around the room.

Julie and Carlee Anne, Me and Cal, and Sharon and Haley

Carlee Anne and Cal just working on their standing skills. They really had fun together, despite their facial expressions. I think Cal is saying, "Mom, really? Enough pictures of me and my ladies!"

Sweet cheeks

Dylan and Meaghan live close to a great hiking trail, so we put Cal on Matt's back, put on some shades and off we went!

30 weeks - Piano Man

Since Cal is all about sitting, crawling, moving everywhere, there will be no more laying down pictures. I think he's a lot happier this way, don't you agree?

This was a sad week - one of my close friends here in Philly, Annsley, moved away! We hadn't known each other long, but became close quickly, talking on the phone nearly every day and going over to each others houses in between baby naps. I was so excited to become her friend, but alas, the time was short, and now her family is off to Atlanta! Well wishes to the Klehr family.

A last photo of myself and Cal with Annsley and Sawyer. Our boys were a week apart. 

To celebrate the friendship of Annsley, her neighbor hosted a going away party where all the babies could get together and we could share our last sentiments and enjoy gluten-free foods. Thanks to Annsley, I now know many gluten-free foods that are surprisingly tasty!

Here is a picture of Cal and his friend Nina from the party. Her mom, Eunmi, and I knew each other from prenatal yoga class, and our babies ended up being born just a few days apart!

Watch out Cal!

Cal is a moving maniac these days, trying out new moves here and there. This is his latest yoga move, downward dog. I think he really believes he can stand...honestly I wouldn't be shocked if I turn around one day soon and see him on his feet!

Here is a fun little video of Callahan Mozart playing his first piano solo.

Thanks to Freecycle (MY FAVORITE!), I was able to get Cal this great stand alone jumper for... you guessed it... FREE! We had the door hanging jumper but Cal kept knocking his head on the door frame, so fortunately for him, I was able to connect with someone willing to part with this type, that allows him to jump anywhere his heart desires!