"Cow"vin

What's with the tongue? He's been doing this for a few days now. It worked out well for his costume!

So, Dan and I were delinquent parents tonight. We went to a wedding instead of celebrating Calvin's first Halloween with him. Theresa made it a special night for the little guy and took great care of him!

Our little cowboy on the "mooooooo"ve. (I know, really bad)

Cousins

Before heading back to North Carolina this week, we got to spend a few days with Kim (my sister), Jason, and Addie. Calvin was quite amused by his 4 year old cousin, and we were too!

Calvin and Addie actually played together a little bit! We put Cal in Addie's room to sleep the first night. Thinking he was asleep, we then put Addie to bed. A couple minutes later, we heard the two talking. We heard Addie's voice followed by a lilted "eh!" After laughing while listening outside the door, I entered to find Calvin and Addie each sitting up in their beds facing each other to talk. So sweet! Needless to say, Calvin had his own room after that.

Addie also responded to Calvin's beckoning. He would make a noise while looking at her, and she'd say, "Ok, Calvin, I'll get you a toy." Then she'd rush off to retrieve something. While she was a way, Calvin would "eh" and "eh" until she returned with something. He'd play for a minute and the cycle would repeat. Pretty funny to watch.

Addie dresses up everyday...sometimes multiple times. Her latest kick is being "fancy" like Fancy Nancy (a book series).

Here is Dan reading the Fancy Nancy book to Addie and Cal:

Here is the result. Addie thought that Uncle Dan needed to be "fancy," too!

Calvin loved Aunt Kim. He has always been really comfortable with her. During our visit, he laughed and laughed with her and often tried to get her attention with his lilted "eh."

Scooter

Calvin has been motoring around the house over the last week. Though his style is a bit non-traditional (what with the right leg dragging underneath and all), we think it still counts as crawling. At least he isn't using his forehead as much anymore...

Dan is very happy that Cal's motivation for crawling came from a ball (and not the Barbie doll he was seen playing with a few days earlier - thanks a lot, Kristin Zeeb). Needless to say, we're baby-proofing the house now.

As a side note, we're really encouraged that Calvin is able to do all what you see in the video with a patch on his good eye!

Cascarelli's Reunion

Homer, Michigan is located approximately halfway between Ann Arbor, MI and Fort Wayne, IN. With a population of only 1,851 people and a delicious pizza place called Cascarelli's, it has been the perfect meeting place for the Rocke's over the last 4 years. It was fun to share the meeting spot with some of our Ann Arbor friends on Saturday.

Fun times. From left to right: Cal, Erin, Amy, Daniel, Kelly, Dan, and Kyle. The waitress who took this picture remembered Dan, Calvin, and me from our stops at the restaurant in the past. After asking how old Calvin is, she said that she remembers when we showed Cal's ultrasound pictures to Ace and Jeffy there. Maybe we stick out like a sore thumb since we are "out-of-town-ers."

Thanks for coming to see us in Homer! We miss you and loved our time together!

Homecoming

Dan has some substantial time off, so we drove to Indiana for our first visit together since moving to Durham. It has been quite a whirlwind so far, but it has been so good. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Dan and Calvin with Dan's buddies from Taylor Bill (and daughter, Kailyn) and Jeremy.

It was very cold for Taylor's homecoming game on Saturday, so luckily, lots of people wanted to carry Calvin around to keep him warm.

Like: Grandma

Uncle Sam (Dan's brother)

And Uncle Ben (Dan's brother who flew in for the weekend from California. Yeah!)

The Rocke boys together.

Tripod Crawl and Blood Test Update

The top of Calvin's forehead has suffered a bit of a carpet burn after yesterday's crawling efforts. Here are a couple videos displaying the "tripod" crawl...at least a little bit. He is hard to catch in the act!








Blood Test Update:

All of Calvin's blood tests came back normal except for one, which was just slightly out of the range of normal. His blood cell count, specifically eocenaphyls (not sure how to spell it) was elevated a bit, so we went in to redo the test today. Hopefully it will come back normal today, but if it doesn't, the doctor is looking into maybe something like a parasite. He doesn't seem really confident that this is likely, but that is the only lead he has found so far.

We are thankful that the other tests came back normal. If there is something to find, though, we are praying that the doctor will find it. I'll keep you posted, and thanks for keeping our little guy in your prayers.

Versatility

Here is the scene that I found when I went to pick Calvin up from his morning nap today. It melted my heart and sounded an alarm all at once. Somehow the little booger got himself to the sitting position from being asleep on his tummy just minutes earlier. I wish I could have seen it, or maybe I should be glad I didn't. I guess it is time to lower Cal's crib mattress.

Just after the first picture, he fell back to his tummy. Calvin's pretty versatile these days.

Apples, Pumpkins, and Friends

This weekend we travelled to northern Virginia to hang out with our friends Kate, Neil, and Nate. We had fun at Homestead Farm on Saturday. Though Cal is only 9 months, and Nate is only 6 months, we think the babies enjoyed our time as much as we did. Here are some of the best pictures!

Calvin and Nate happily banging on pumpkins together.
The Becks and Rockes on the hayride.
Calvin loved riding with daddy at the farm. He got to watch some goats, chickens, and a turkey, and though daddy gave him the chance to pet a cow, he wasn't interested.

Apple picking in Virginia. Calvin is excited to taste the applesauce that we make from our apples. Or at least he should be.
A little sleepy guy.

Calvin 9 Month Update

Dan refused to hold Calvin for this picture because he does not approve of his son wearing such an outfit: Brown, blue and pink Argyle tights with a rainbow striped fleece hoodie and a hippo patterned onesie! It could have been worse.

Eyes:
Cal had an appointment with his opthalmologist last week, and though we've been hopeful that his vision in his left eye is improving (he seems to be using it while patched, anyway), no significant improvement could be detected by the reflex test. We'll keep patching 5 hours a day. Calvin doesn't seem to mind much anymore, and Dr. Wallace says the test is not super accurate at this age.

Size:
Calvin had his nine month check-up last week, and he has pretty average height and head size measurements. His weight is another story. He keeps dropping further below the curve....under the 1st percentile compared to his peers is not good, so the pediatrician says he is pretty worried. He ordered some blood tests to see what might be causing his poor weight. So far all the tests have come back normal! We find ourselves in this situation again- we know that God made him perfect as he is, and we are praying that if there is something to be found that the doctors will find it. At the same time, we are hoping that he is just small because he is supposed to be instead of a disease or condition of some sort.

Mobility:
We keep waiting for Cal to crawl. It seems like it should be happening any day now. It is not very efficient to crawl as Calvin has experienced it so far, though. For example, He reaches with his arms and kicks his legs like a frog, but with his chest on the ground, it is a lot of wasted effort. Dan set him up on his knees today for a little bit, and he rocked back and forth a bit before falling on his face. Calvin has also tried using his head and legs as a tripod and pushing forward on his cheek. Calvin has concluded that these strategies require way too much effort for little gains, so instead, he efficiently rolls wherever he wants to go.

Calvin has also started "walking" while we hold his arms. Here is a video of Calvin doing this while buck-naked after his bath from the bathroom to his bedroom.




Interaction:
Calvin is such a little charmer. He is always looking for someone to look at, slightly tilt his head, and beckon with a sweet little "uuhh." It usually works, and when it doesn't, he is pretty persistent. He did this repeatedly on the plane to someone who was sleeping with her i-Pod. Thankfully, his spirit was not broken. =)

Calvin has also begun to converse with us. He will say "aaahh" with a little lilt and wait for an answer. When we speak back, he says "aaahhh" again. This can go on quite a while. We keep inserting real words like "Mama" and "Dada," hoping that he'll say his first word right on cue, but I realize this will not work as he likes things to be his idea.

Calvin has also started interacting more with other babies. Here is a picture of Calvin "playing" with his friend Ella. They enjoyed trying to grab each others faces and jockying for control of an empty oatmeal cylinder during their play time.

The September Vacuum

September was a pretty crazy month for us, but I believe God we were able to see God providing for us really clearly due to the craziness of it all.

Dan

Dan's exhaustion from the first 3 months of internship kind of reached a head at the beginning of September. Dan was tired and wondering if he had taken a wrong turn by choosing this path for his life. Though we both believe that God has led us to this place at this time, it is difficult to maintain perspective in the thick of the storm. God provided reassurance and rest by giving Dan time to play golf and sleep while Cal and I were away, sending Dan encouragement from friends for his birthday, and offering Dan recognition for his good work from the residents he has been working with so far this year. God is providing just what we need.

The Big Trip

For the second two weeks in September, I took Cal to Indiana and Michigan to see family and be with friends for two weddings, the Rosanders and Claytons! Here are the highlights (without pictures, sorry, I didn't take any pictures with my own camera).

1. Flying Solo

Calvin didn't sleep at all, but he was a trooper. I gave myself a migraine on the 2nd flight due to pent up anxiety worrying about flying with Cal alone. A nice lady saw I was struggling and held Calvin for me during the flight. When we landed in Indianapolis after 9 hours of travel, I kept telling Calvin, "We did it! We did it!" The flight home 2 weeks later, was so much easier since I knew what to expect.

2. Aunt Kim, Uncle Jason, and Cousin Addie

We got to stay with Kim, Jason, and Addie for some of our time in Indianapolis, which was so great! I really enjoyed getting to see them for more than a day or 2. Addie, who is almost 4, was so sweet with "Baby Calvin." He was sleeping in her bedroom and started to cry, as he always does before falling asleep. Though we talked to Addie about anticipating this for a few minutes, she started telling Calvin, "Stop crying, Baby Calvin!" She meant well. =)

3. Grandma Judy

I got to see my mom nearly every day I was in Indianapolis as she came over to see us as much as she could. It was great to see her with Calvin for some substantial time. I can tell the she loves him a lot, and he was really content while she held him, played with him, and fed him.

4. The Weddings

I loved being a part of Josh & Erin and Kyle & Sondra's special days! They have all been such good friends to Dan and me (and Cal), and it was a blessing to be there for their weddings. I went home just feeling so lucky to be surrounded with such great friends. I also had such a sense of God's being in control of Dan, Cal, and me. I know that He is the one to bring together and sustain our friends in marriage, and it was good to be reminded of the same for my family at a time where Dan and I don't get to see each other much.

5. The Papalias

I got to see my cousin, Shelley, and her family for the first time since right after Calvin was born while we were in Indy. It was so great to see and stay with them for a few nights. Joseph and James (freshmen in high school) were willing go give up their beds for us, and it was fun to hear about Julia's running success. It was fun to hear about old meets that I used to compete in while in middle school, though I must say she is much better than I was. =) Shelley and Joe are just amazing. I feel like I am at home while with them!

6. The Rockes

Calvin and I got to spend a few days in Fort Wayne with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Sam and Aunt Abbey. It was great to be together so much! I was spoiled having so many people to take care of Calvin and people around all day to talk to! I got to run nearly every day there by myself while Ace watched Cal...I felt so light! Ace came with me to both weddings and took care of Calvin so that I could take part in the festivities. I am so thankful that she would do that with me. I was really able to relax knowing he was in good hands.

7. Ann Arbor

Dan and I still miss our friends in Ann Arbor, and I felt like I had a 2 day reunion while there for Kyle and Sondra's wedding. It was so sweet. Ace and I took Calvin back to Emerson to see my former students and fellow teachers. Wow, the kids really filled me up as their excitement for seeing me showed that they love me as much as I love them. I am so thankful that I could have the time with them that I did over the last 4 years.

It was also amazing to reconnect with so many people from church during Kyle and Sondra's wedding festivities. I felt like I just wanted to talk and talk and talk to everyone I saw. It really filled me up to be with everyone.

We stayed with the Fuchs family while in Ann Arbor, and they just treated us like family. I have known their daughter, Megan, for about 4 years. I have always known that she is an amazing girl, and I can see where she gets her faith and sweet spirit.


8. Home Sweet Home

It was great to visit family and friends, but I really missed Dan. Cal and I both reached for his arms when he met us in the Durham airport. Though I felt like I was "going home" during our trip to Indiana and Michigan, it is good to be home in North Carolina.