Let's Go Grandpa!

Ace and Jeff, Dan's parents, came for a whole week last week to visit us, and Ben was able to fly in from California for the weekend. Calvin did not want his Grandma and Grandpa or Uncle Ben to leave on Sunday...... neither did Dan or I. Uncle Ben tried to help Calvin sneak away to Indiana. He actually fit quite well into the passenger seat, but Jeffy would have been too distracted to drive with Cal riding shot-gun.

We love hanging out with family, and this week was no exception. While we were rarely able to all be together because of Dan's schedule, the time we had was precious.

Here are some things I realized last week-

1. There is nothing more precious than watching Calvin wrestle with Daddy and Grandpa. I like especially how Grandpa announces the outcome of the "wrestling matches" for a while after the matches are over. I think only actual outcome was lots of smiles and laughter from Cal.







2. Jeff and Ace spoil Calvin, Dan and me!

Calvin is spoiled every time he is around Grandma and Grandpa, but I feel like I am spoiled just as much. I think Ace was Cal's primary caretaker last week, so I was free to run, shower, read....ahhh. It was a nice little break. It was also so great to have Ace to talk to everyday when it would otherwise just have been me and Calvin. If that is not enough, Jeffy took me on a date to get ice cream one night while Dan was working. So fun!

It was a treat to share Calvin's usual activites with family. Here are some picture of Ace, me, and Cal at the pool:





Calvin still LOVES the pool. I think he gets this from his Grandma who loves the water. He loves "swimming," and he is no longer content with floating on his back. When we try to put him on his back, he now immediately tries to flip over. Needless to say, we have not yet allowed him to experience the consequence of this decision.


3. Calvin loves his Uncle Ben! While Calvin has been needing "warm-up time" with most people these days, there was none needed with Ben. He was comfortable with him right away. Calvin just loved staring at him, building with him, and touching his face. Ace says that Ben looked a lot like Calvin as a little guy. Maybe Calvin feels like Ben understands him =).

Laughing with Daddy

Calvin has been laughing so much lately! He has a panting-type laugh with a big smile and squinty eyes in response to getting his diaper changed, in anticipation of another bite of tasty food (right now peas and cantaloupe flavored yogurt), and randomly when we look at him.

This laugh gets taken up a notch when Dan comes home. It turns into full belly laughter. Here are some videos of that:

A shorter one:



And a longer one:




On an unrelated note, I've had Calvin's door open while he naps lately to keep it cooler in his room (our AC has been less than functional....fixed now =). I've gotten to watch him nap, and I love it! Here is a picture so you can see, too!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling....

Calvin has been enjoying a new toy lately: Tupperware. Who knew? The only problem is that it rolls away quite easily. Cal is starting to reach for it, but he is still tentative about reaching too much and losing his balance.

Calvin is also enjoying a new skill: Rolling, and rolling, and rolling! He is slowly discovering how to get from here to there by putting rolls together. Here is a video...once again, please ignore the baby talk. =)


Yes, he made it. He kept rolling until he was stopped by a bench, where he happily played with the leg.

Calvin has also been rolling around before and after bath time. We think it is pretty sweet!

A Girlfriend?

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I like your ear,
dear Maggie, I do.

You furrowed your brow,
You seemed to approve?,
When I touched your leg,
and slobbered on you.

All my best tricks,
I tried to perform:
stomping and standing,
and "gumming" your arm.

Maybe someday
you will be mine,
At least if it's up to,
our parents' design.


So, Eric, Rachel, and Maggie McLaughlin, our good friends from Ann Arbor stopped into town this past weekend for a quick visit. We had so much fun with them. We are so thankful for the great friends that God has given us.

A Few Favorite Things

Calvin has a few new favorite things.

1. Sitting up. Today Calvin entertained himself nicely for 25 minutes while sitting up. He kept his balance without falling over while playing....such a big guy!

2. The dragonfly teething toy. This is the first toy that Calvin has demonstrated a strong preference for. Even though he was surrounded with toys here, every time he dropped the dragonfly, he tried to get it back. Pushing it further out of the way while reaching for it, he then whimpered until I pushed it back within reach.

I think this proves that Calvin has very sophisticated tastes in toys. This toy is very versatile: you can bite it, you can turn it and bite it, you can switch it to the other hand and bite it, and you can flail it in your hand before biting it again.

3. Cantalope. Woah, the display Calvin puts on while eating cantalope is pretty incredible. He ate it for the first time yesterday, and each bite was followed by "words," flapping arms, and kicking. He also enjoyed the "smoothie" version where it was mixed into yogurt.


(I don't have a picture of Cal eating Cantalope, so here is a cute one of him praying with Dan. He is so sweet when we pray....he stops moving around and just listens. Sometimes he looks up at us and just watches.)


I also have a few (not new) favorite things:

1. Hanging out with Calvin. While feeding Calvin at bottle, he needs a few breaks to get refocused. This is often what we do.



2. Watching Dan hang out with Calvin. Calvin sure likes his Daddy.


3. Dan.......don't have a recent picture, so I'll put Calvin instead....he looks a lot like Dan.