My heart thrilled yesterday when I was reading some books to Kaleb. For the first time he showed tons of excitement and interest in the books. He was babbling away, grabbing the pages, and keeping his hand on the corner, repositioning every time I turned the page. It was as though he had learned the procedure for reading a book and was so excited to show it off.
Other Kaleb favorites these days: sitting up, standing, looking at his toes, and sticking things in his mouth. Lately he has been so into sitting up. He is always trying to do it on his own, so he ends up doing a crunch, basically. He likes to take our hands and pull himself up, and then he takes in the world around him. His strength in just the past week has increased so much. He is better at holding his trunk steady, and his head is tons stronger too. During tummy time this morning he held his head up for quite awhile, and he didn’t cry at all!! He spotted the bumblebee on his bedding, and then he was content to gaze at that.
When Kaleb isn’t trying to sit up, he’s usually wanting to stand. Those little legs are powerful, thanks to so much marching! The desire to sit and stand seem to be born of his desire to see everything that is going on around him. He doesn’t want to miss anything!
Toes: they are fascinating things. When Kaleb sits up sometimes he spots these mysterious, interesting foot decorations and leans forward until he is folded in half. Keegan does a great impression of the folding as well as the intense look on his face. He is very serious about getting to those toes!
His ability to grab and bat at things gets better by the day. He doesn’t have to work hard to grab things anymore. If something is near him he will reach right out and snag it. And if it can go in his mouth it will. I never thought I would be so excited to see him shoving things in his mouth! Recent things he has taste-tested include: his links, the beetle’s wings in the Fuzzy Bee and Friends book, and his monkey rattle.
Big happenings coming up: rice cereal!!! We may try it for the first time tomorrow. I think he is ready because every time I eat my breakfast he stops what he is doing and watches. He seems so interested in what is in my bowl. He is going to be so surprised when he gets a bowl of his own!!
On a non-baby note, yesterday was our one year wedding anniversary. What a year! We have, in that time, created this beautiful child, but we have also created the foundation for a wonderful marriage. The challenges and experiences of this year have set the stage for the many more that are sure to come our way over time, and based on the way we handled these challenges, I am confident we can handle any. I am more proud than ever to have Keegan as my husband, and I consider myself lucky every day. And I still get butterflies when he walks in the door. How did I ever find someone so wonderful, so perfect for me? I can’t wait to see what the next 50 years bring!

Today Kaleb had his 4 month check-up. Today also marked the first entire day I had spent away from him. I went to an ELA Assessment committee from 8:30 - 3:00. i was very proud of myself – i didn’t cry– but it was not an easy day. I had a pit in my stomach every time i thought about my little boy, especially when I had to pump at lunchtime. Luckily, he was with Keegan all day, so I wasn’t worried about him, just missing him. I ddn’t really realize until I was home asking questions how much I monitor him all day. I found that I NEEDED to know what color his poo was, how much he ate, how much he slept. I suppose that as his caretaker nowing all these things are crucial so that when something irregular occurs which could be an indicator of illness, you notice it.
As soon as I came home and held him, Kaleb wanted to nurse, which was perfectly fine with me. It was a lovely way to reconnect. Soon enough, however, it was time to go to the doctors. Kaleb weighed in at 10 lb 13 oz (under what i thought he would be, but thats because I have been weighing him at Isis), measured 22 3/4 inches in length, and had a head circumference of 15 1/2 inches. He is right up underneath the curve on all areas, and my guess, based on looking at his progress, is that he’ll make it onto the curve for next time. Dr. Evans said that he looks terrific and is strong, has good head control, and that everything is essentially as it should be. He’s right on track. Phew!!!
We had been wondering (because everyone else had told us so) whether Kaleb was teething, because he seemed to be displaying some of the signs: excessive drooling, chewing on things, increased fussiness, and greenish poo. The tiny white spot that was the only thing in his mouth that I could find that was remotely tooth-like is not a tooth but instead called an Epstein pearl (i think). No teeth, not yet. Kaleb can, however, start rice cereal in a few weeks!! That’s huge! We will start with once a day, and after a few weeks we can go to twice a day. The doctor said that after babies start solids, they catch up even quicker. I’ve also heard that they sleep through the night, which, while I will actually miss the middle of the night nursings, will be lovely for my brain power and energy level. It will also be great for Keegan to take more part in feeding him. I’m sure he will love that.
After all of our questions were answered came Kaleb’s least favorite part: shots. He needed one oral “shot” and three real ones again, same as last time. He didn’t hold his breath like last time, thank goodness, but he was so sad/mad and howled. I nursed him right away like I did last time, and he calmed down in no time at all.
Funny behavior once in his carseat: he kept trying to take off his bib. He’s never done that before, but now that his hands are exploring everything, I’m sure we’ll see a lot more tugging at everything he can get hus adorable, pudgy little fingers onto.
On the car ride home, after shots, he was Mr. Smiles! I was sitting in the backseat with him, and he grinned at me nearly the whole way home. He would look at me, grin until his eyes were crinkled all the way up, look away out the window, look back at me and grin all over again. He did this for at least 5 of the 10 minutes of the ride home. It was wonderful. He has Keegan’s eyes, but I don’t know…they crinkle up an awful lot like mine or my dad’s…maybe that is a learned facial expression rather than determined by feature. Who knows? It’s pretty damn cute though.
Last thing: yesterday Kaleb was batting at his beach ball and stroller chimes, and he is getting better and better with his links. It absolutely astounds me that on a Friday, say, he will learn to use his hands for the first time really, by batting at one particular toy, and then by Tuesday he bats at anything within his reach and is constantly doing things with his hands. What a sharp learning curve! If that was true as adults we would have 2 days of driving practice and then be good enough to take the test!
Kaleb has done several ither new things in the last day or so. One thing he is doing is wanting to sit up. If he lays on our legs, looking at us, and our knees are up, he will grab our hands and try to hoist himself up to sitting. Once there he locks his eyes onto his toes and leans forward until he is folded in half. He will do this again and again.
The other thing he does is stands up in our lap. His legs are getting so strong, and he is loving using them. He likes to stand up and then bend, then stand, then bend, over and over. Keegan said he actually stood in his lap, looking out at the street (on the front porch–his favorite spot) for a long time today. In general he LOVES to be outside. If he’s fussy that’s where we go, and he calms right down.
ok, that’s enough update for now. Hopefully he keeps truckin' along with all these new skills. It’s so very exciting to see a new behavior or skill emerge. I swear I get heart palpitations!

On Tuesday Kaleb and I went to mom and baby yoga at Isis Maternity. Being a very mom and nursing friendly place, they had an infant scale out for customers to use, designed to tell you how much your baby ate when nursing (you weigh them before and after feeding). My excitement was matched only by Megan’s, and we wasted no time in plopping our babies down on it. The scale read 10 lbs .5 oz, and subtracting for his clothes and clean diaper, I figured he was probably about 9lbs 14 oz. He has been alive for about 100 days, and he has gained101 oz in that time–pretty astounding. By this weekend he will have TRIPLED his lowest weight. Most babies are supposed to double their birth weight by 6 months. Now, he may have been tiny, but I think he’s doing ok! What is astonishing to me, besides the fact that I grew this child inside me, is that I have produced all of the nourishment that has enabled him to grow so strong. Every ounce, every inch he grows was at one point milk, and before that whatever I ate for dinner. It’s really pretty astounding. Breastfeeding, besides being so good for your baby, really is an experience like none other. To say it is a bonding experience really doesn’t even come close. Being able to nourish your child with your own body is satisfying in a deep way–it just feels right. For all the annoyance of leaking breasts and gimungo, saggy boobs, I wouldn’t trade breastfeeding for anything. And there is something about the way a baby looks when breastfeeding–so innocent, so helpless, so dependent upon you, that just tugs at your heart. Kaleb, I got you to ten pounds, and i promise to keep you growing big and strong. I love you, little one.

Early on in my relationship with Keegan, he took me on a hike of Mt. Jefferson. I was surprised to learn during the climb that we were climbing the 3rd highest peak in New England. After some internal debate over whether I would make it, we arrived triumphantly at the top. The way down found me in a joyous mood, and found us discussing futures and our own respective plans. Keegan told me this, “I am a great boyfriend, I’ll be an even better husband, and I’ll be the best father of all.” Until we had Kaleb, I had only seen Keegan with kids a few times, and while I had no doubts that he would indeed be a wonderful father, I had no idea that he really would live up to his promise. He amazes me each and every day with the care he shows for Kaleb, and the excitement with which he welcomes every eye blink and knee bend. He is 110% in love with our little boy, and makes sure that Kaleb knows that, too. He documents every day of his life, and records all the incredible moments for posterity, and our family and friends, on his live journal. I can’t say for sure that his skills as a father surpass those he possesses as a husband, because he is more than I could ever ask for in that role as well, but the fact remains that I am one lucky lady, and Kaleb is one lucky boy.
Our 30th birthdays are this year–Keegan’s just passed, actually. Keegan’s Aunt Carol asked me if I was nervous about this big year. How could I feel any sense of hesitancy when my life is where it is right now? I have an amazing husband, a beautiful baby, a job I love, family and friends who support me, and we are buying a fabulous house! The point of this entry was to record how wonderful Keegan is as a father. He is just so natural. It really does seem to be the role he has waited his whole life to play. I can’t wait to see how my little family evolves . I know that as parents Keegan and I can meet any challenge Kaleb throws at us. After all, we have already taken difficulty head-on, and we are stronger for it. This marriage, this family, are built to last.