Super Daddy

Yesterday Caleb stayed home from school because he had a tummy ache. I had a lot going on at work so Daddy stayed home with Caleb. They had a day full of "boy stuff" and playing at home. Caleb had a wonderful time with his Daddy and felt SO MUCH better today.

It was quite a treat to get photo updates throughout the day letting me know what "the boys" were up to.

Braden took Caleb to Target to get a ball so we can do his physical therapy with him at home.

Caleb was excited to get a ball.

First nap of the day

Yummy Pedialyte (we don't want to get dehydrated)


Caleb crawling around and playing with Daddy

Caleb playing with toys and resting on Daddy's leg

Can you find Caleb?

Second nap of the day

Bed time for Caleb

My Baby is 10 months old

I seriously can not believe that my little baby is 10 Months Old! He is growing and changing every day and brings such joy to my life.
Caleb is crawling and moving so fast it is hard to get him to stop long enough to take a picture. Most of the time he is trying to steal the camera from me that it is even harder to get a good picture.

This morning as I was feeding Caleb I told him "The Story of Caleb's Birthday." I made sure he knew I was in labor ALL day long with him and he waited until 9:59PM to be born. I told him that I could not wait for him to arrive but he had other plans and didn't want to leave the nice, warm, comfort of my belly. I told Caleb about how his Daddy's eyes lit up the moment he got to hold him for the first time. I told Caleb about how his feet were turned up because there was no more room in my belly (thank God his feet straightened out). But my greatest memory is the sound of his little cry - at that moment I knew my life would be changed forever.

I love you Caleb Reid - HAPPY 10 MONTH BIRTHDAY!

Caleb will soon be saying "goodbye" to his baby carseat and "hello" to a big boy carseat. We are currently researching the best, safest carseat for our little monkey.

A Special THANK YOU to all the friends and family who were there 10 Months ago to be part of the wonderful day of Caleb's birth. We cherish you!

Baby Shower for Robin

Last weekend I co-hosted a baby shower for a friend (and sorority sister, Robin) in Ft Worth. It was a great day filled with lots of little pink outfits and fun times with friends. Robin is having a little baby girl and she is due on March 27 (also Caleb's birthday). I am very excited for another friend for Caleb to play with (even though she lives in Boston - we miss you Rob).
It is so much fun to have friends who are having children. I love that Caleb will get to grow up with my friends children.

Robin with one of my favorite shower gifts - ruffle onsie - SO cute!

The cake for the Baby Shower was SO good. I have no idea where is came from, but it was amazing. I ate more than I needed to.
Hostess: Tiffany, Christy, Robin (guest of honor), Me, & Katie
Not pictured: Alicia & Sasha

We had a great time and I am ready for the next one. So get busy girl friends!

Hair Today - - Gone Tomorrow

I have been talking about cutting my hair for a LONG LONG time now. I always go to the salon with the purpose to "do something different" but come away with just a trim. Well, about a month ago I really starting getting serious about doing something drastic. I was getting tired of blow drying my hair and always having to pull it back so Caleb didn't yank on it.

My long, straight hair has always been somewhat of a security blanket for me. I knew no matter what I wore or how much weight I gained or lost, my hair would be there for me. Well, I am letting go of the long, straight hair and embracing a new look.

BEFORE

One reason I am getting rid of the hair

Thank you Caleb for always pulling my hair





AFTER

It is going to take some getting used to, but here is the new ME :)

I cut off a total of 13 inches of hair. I will be sending my ponytail to Locks Of Love to hopefully be made into a wig for a child with cancer.

Video of Caleb!!

I finally got around to posting some videos (with some help from Braden). Enjoy my little man.

Crawling toward the Christmas tree. Such a Big Boy!

Transitions

We are going through a lot of transitions in our lives right now.
The biggest transition is having a crawling baby at home. Caleb is in to everything and doesn't quite understand the word "no" yet. You can hardly turn your back for one minute and ... zoom... he is gone. Just this morning I was putting away his laundry while he played at his musical table. I turned around and he was in his trash can pulling out kleenex. Yuck!
Also, Caleb is most recently pulling up by himself. He has been pulling up with a little assistance for awhile but he has learned to do it solo. So, two nights ago we FINALLY got the "bumper pads" out of the box and put them on the coffee table so Caleb doesn't bump his head.
The last transition is happening at Caleb's school. This week he is spending half days in the toddler room. Next week he will be transitioning to be a full time toddler :( Needless to say, I am not dealing well with my little, tiny, infant child in the big, bad toddler room. The biggest change to this room is that the children are mostly walking and there is NO morning nap. I am not a big supporter of the no morning nap, but I am learning to deal with it since I have no choice.

So, it has been a rough week with a tired, fussy, runny nose baby. But like everything else we have experienced, this too will pass.

My Sweet Baby Boy

My sweet baby boy is getting so big. I know it is only natural for him to grow up and get bigger but I want him to stay a baby for just a little bit longer. He is gaining Independence every day. He loves to crawl around the floor and is really cute trying to crawl on the hard woods because he has to work harder not to slip. Sweet Baby Caleb - - Mommy loves you.

I picked Caleb up from school one day last week and was shocked to see him wearing this silly outfit. I had not updated his cubby at school and these pants are size 0-3 months. Oops! He was wearing capris. And to think, these were big on him when he was born.

Nana B bought Caleb these adorable Elmo/Sesame Street pj's. Caleb has a few Elmo toys that he plays with so he is learning his Sesame Street characters.

Such a big boy, holding his own bottle.

On a completely different note, it has been below freezing for the last few days. I went to a work lunch the other day and the fountain out front was frozen solid. I thought it was really funny.

Handbook for 2010

My little sister sent this to me and I thought it was a great way to view 2010.

2010 Handbook
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that
is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours each night
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past.
That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:
25. Call your family often
26. Each day give something good to others
27. Forgive everyone for everything
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day
30. What other people think of you is none of your business
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
37. The best is yet to come
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my blog readers.

I hope you have a very happy, healthy, prosperous 2010.

Love from our home to yours,
Braden, Rebecca, Caleb, & Lexi

Weekend, Wedding, and Random

The Howell Trio had a nice, long weekend. This year we had a very low key New Years at home. Braden cooked a fabulous dinner, we played with Caleb, and watched a movie before falling asleep as it turned midnight.

New Years day we went to Emory, TX to the Howell Family Lakehouse. Braden and Papa (his dad) played golf while Nana B (Braden's mom) and I took Caleb shopping to the local outlet center. We had a good day at the lake (even if it was really cold).

Nana B & Caleb
Nana B bought Caleb this cute hat at the outlet center.

My little bear :)
Saturday we all drove to Tyler, TX to see Amy's (sister-in-law) brother (Jeff) get married. Jeff lives in Japan and brought his bride (Toshi) back to TX so they could get married. It was a nice, small wedding with close family and friends. Jeff and Toshi looked very happy.

Saturday evening we drove back from the lake so we could have all day Sunday to get ready for the week.
Sunday, I took Caleb shopping to get some essentials. He was not very happy to be out and about instead of napping. Here he is doing everything (except sitting up straight) just to be bad. He is a little booger.

After playing at the lake, Lexi was exhausted. I thought she looked so cute all cuddled up on the back of the couch. She looks so small.

These are some older photos that I had not posted yet. Enjoy my little man :)

Caleb & Daddy playing in the snow

One of Nana B's friends sent Caleb this adorable chair. He loves climbing in and out of it.