Sledding!

It snowed last night and this morning...not sure how much, but I'd estimate 5 inches or so. Dan and I loved watching the snow fall last night, and this morning, there was a winter wonderland outside! I was worried while Dan drove into work, but it has been a beautiful scene today! Calvin thought so, too! =)

This afternoon, Calvin and I went sledding! Cal lounged on the sled while I pulled him around the neighborhood. When I stopped pulling to talk to someone or take a picture, he cried. Otherwise, he was perfectly content.

We ran into our neighbors, the Stokers! Brigham (the dad), Mia (in Brigham's arms), Nathan (back of sled), and Scarlet (front of sled) joined us for a lap around the neighborhood. It was fun to hang out with them for a little bit!

After about 45 minutes of lounging, Cal was still content, but my fingers were cold. We got this picture of our rosy cheeks before heading inside to get warm.

Walking and Competitive Eating

I now know why kids Cal's age are called "toddlers." Calvin has been walking around like crazy, and it is pretty funny to watch. Without much meter or balance, and with a diaper interrupting his leg motion, Calvin definitely "toddles."

Here is a view from behind. For some reason, Cal loves to walk to the front door and knock on it. He's talking to himself the whole time in the video, as is often the case. Maybe this is like singing or whistling while working?

From this forward view, you can see how proud Calvin is of himself for this new-found ability. He often lets out a little laugh of satisfaction when he successfully reaches his destination.

Calvin has spent a lot of time with his buddy, Mac, these last few days. Mac came over on Monday to hang out, and the two got to eat lunch together. With me feeding both at the same time, Calvin ate amazingly well. I think Calvin liked it when I offered him a bite instead of Mac, so he actually accepted the bites. Hmmm. Maybe I need to start pretending that Cal isn't the center of attention by putting a doll in the highchair and Cal on my lap. =)

This was the first time a younger baby vied for his mommy's attention, and boy was Calvin upset when I put Mac on my lap to give him a bottle. Cal threw a royal fit! The classic tantrum...face down on the ground with limbs sprawled out screaming. He occasionally looked back at me, then resumed his fit. When Dan came downstairs to see what was happening, Cal buried his head in Dan's chest like his feelings had been hurt. After a few minutes, Dan said, "Let's go make up with Mommy." Calvin refused, clinging more tightly than ever to Dan. He was mad! I know I've created this little monster, and I felt bad that he was sad, but I think it is a good lesson.

Here some pictures that my friend, Amanda, took with her sweet camera. Her house was like Disneyland for him... so many fun toys, and many with lights and songs!

There's a Wocket in My Pocket and a Racquet in My Hand

One of Calvin's favorite books is There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss. Sometimes Dan and I recite it since Calvin likes the words so much, and we've noticed that lately he responds by fetching the actual book! At first I thought that this was just a coincidence, but Cal does it every time! I started the video a little late, but you can get the idea.

Dan and I went to play tennis with our friends Lori and Dave, and it was a lot of fun! While Dan and Dave actually played, Lori and I hit a little bit...not sure it can be classified as "playing." There was a coach watching Lori and me from another court. We're pretty sure he was thinking that we were diamonds in the rough.

The whole family on the tennis court. We thought Calvin would love pushing the "Push-n-Ride Racer" around the open courts, but he was a little scared of how fast it went. He did, however, enjoy being pushed around by Dan.

Our friends, Lori and Dave, playing with Cal after the match. Cal has been afraid of Dave's beard, but he's warming up to him =).

Calvin did amazingly well while we played! He scooted all over the tennis court chasing this empty tennis ball canister. He didn't seem to care if we were around or not. It was fun to see him so independent in such an open space!

Tower Building and Hair Styling

Containers and balls are hands-down Calvin's favorite toys these days. He has been stacking and unstacking his little cups and our tupperware whenever it is time to play. He took this to a whole new level yesterday. I looked over to see him happily playing in the tupperware cabinet like usual when I am in the kitchen. However, I saw a masterpiece taking shape instead of bowls strewn about. Here is the play-by-play:

And then, my favorite part. He'd been chewing on a rubber "8" bath toy, and he thought it needed to go on the top of the tower. Cal putting it inside the top bowl, then squealed with delight.

On a side note, after I put Calvin down for a nap this morning, I noticed this on the floor. He'd carried the tupperware from the kitchen into the living room where he created this work of art. I can't bear to tear it down yet because I just keep smiling looking at it.

Our little artist has also taken up hair styling. While eating solids, he's pulling his hair (how do you stop this?). It leaves quite a nappy result.

Bike Ride

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful day here! Mid 60's and sunny! It was a perfect day for Calvin's first bike ride...and my first since Calvin was born. We met some friends from our small group to ride on the pedestrian trail called the American Tobacco Trail. I thought this sunny excursion was a perfect opportunity to try Calvin's "Calvin College" hat once again. He kept it on for record time-like 20 minutes!

Our friend Amanda has two great bike trailors, so I got to borrow one for Cal. He was not so sure about it at first, but his lucky golf ball kept him content.

We biked for maybe 45 minutes on the trail, winding through pine tree-lined paths and traversing a few questionable intersections. I must say that biking with such precious cargo is a little nerve racking and much more fatiguing (or I'm just really out of shape and pregnant).

By the end of the ride, Calvin was certainly a happy guy. Here is a picture at the end of the ride. You can't tell from this picture, but, yes, he still has the golfball in his left hand. I'm always amazed at how long he can hold onto things!

Here are some pictures of the girls who went. There are 2 photos so that we could all be represented. Missa is in the blue, Lori in the black, Amanda in the grey, and me in the pink. Amanda's little guy, Mac, and Cal are hanging out in the matching trailors.

Dan's Little Greeter

Calvin sure loves his Daddy! As soon as Cal hears the click of the garage door opening, he knows it is Dan coming home. Dropping everything, he races into Dan's arms. I tried to catch the scene yesterday:

Following this display, Calvin follows Dan around the house while talking like crazy. Interspersed in the Dan-inspired chatter are many "da's," so I've come to the tentative conclusion that he is trying to say Daddy.

In this video, Calvin gave Dan a "kiss." He has been very generous with these "kisses" lately, and it is so sweet, though a little slobbery. He opens his mouth wide and presses it up against your mouth. Then he usually flashes a big smile.

# 2

Calvin's days of single-handedly dominating the "Rocke Blog" are soon to come to an end as #2 is on the way! Yesterday was the confirmation doctor appointment, and they said everything looks good. The little guy or girl is 12 weeks along, so the due date is July 25th!

Here are the ultrasounds we got yesterday:

This one shows the "crown to rump" length measurement. I guess he or she is about the size of a lime.

This picture shows that he or she has 2 arms and 2 legs. Yeah!

This picture shows the heartbeat. 158 bpm sounds really fast, but I'm told that is normal. I've heard that some people think you can tell the gender based on how fast it is or not. Someone told me their girl had a heartbeat of 160ish. Hmmm...

Everything so far with the pregnancy has been pretty easy.The biggest noticeable change has been that I want nothing to do with coffee...that is what made me take the pregnancy test initially. Probably not such a bad thing for the baby's health and my own. =)

Though July 25th is earlier that we anticipated when going into the ultrasound, it is a great time. Dan finishes his intern year at the end of June, so he'll be past his crazy intern hours for the new arrival! We are really thankful for this!

Upright

Calvin is no longer content crawling around on the floor. He is now spending the majority of his playtime upright. He pulls himself up on anything vertical and treats the house as an obstacle course where he walks from wall to couch to table, etc. He's still been holding a toy in his left hand, though. Some things never change.

The window blinds now are pulled half-way up the majority of the time, and tables remain cleared. If not, upon seeing them, Calvin pants and babbles while racing me to the "new toys."

Calvin has also been loving to walk between my legs lately. Here he is pulled up, and next is a video of us vacuuming together. Prior to this, Cal crawled right to where I was sweeping, so though this requires more careful movement, it is much more fun!

Calvin has also been playing games using his ability to pull himself up and walk. I wish you could see Cal's big smile, but here is the game. Calvin pulls himself up on the back of the couch waiting for me to pop up. As soon as I do, he laughs and falls back. Repeat.

When Dan came home from work a couple of mornings ago, Calvin took off walking to him instead of crawling like usual. He has repeated this spontaneous walking a few times since. Here he is doing this on camera.

Picky Eater Likes Raw Potato?

Our picky eater is trying his hand at some new foods lately. It all started with the slice of raw potato that fell to the floor as I was making mashed potatoes last week. He carried around this potato for the duration of my dinner making. He carried it, held it up with gusto and babbling, put it in and out of tupperware containers, and ate it....multiple bites.

"Look, I have a potato!"

"I don't need you chumps to feed me!"

"Now, chewing it with my front teeth is the tough part."

Following this display, we've given Calvin slices (maye he'll think it is a potato?) of pear and apples, which he has been loving! The downside is that it takes forever to chew them, and he takes too big of bites for his 7 little front teeth. He's has since transitioned into small cut up pieces that don't pose such a choking hazard, but mealtimes are still pretty tedious.

Since Cal's weight is still a concern after his appointment today (only 17 pounds 15 ounces), this long-awaited milestone of self-feeding will become an extra-curricular activity once again starting today. We'll primarily feed him high-cal (loaded with butter, cream, and oil) purees to get his weight heading up again. Maybe he'll eat some slices of butter...hmm...

Here are some other things that Calvin has been enjoying lately:

Palming a baseball with his left hand. Dan was thrilled...for so many reasons.

Looking out the window. He stands and walks along the window sills all the time now. He loves to look out the window with us and has even started pointing like we do.....I think he is imitating us more than actually pointing at the sky, trees, and houses, though.

Falling over and laughing with Dan. The only problem is that he has since tried this on different surfaces....like the linoleum in the kitchen. Hopefully it won't take long to learn that this is a bed-only game.

Suddenly Older

Dan came home from work this morning and said that Calvin seems older all of the sudden. I agree. He is now over the virus that made him super cranky and clingy over Christmas, and he has come out on the other side like a little kid instead of a baby.

His play has matured even in the last few days. Instead of just chewing and banging on everything (which he still does), he is enjoying opening and closing things, stacking cups inside of each other, and turning books all around in his hands.

His enjoyment of stories has changed, too. Before, he would sit and listen to short stories, but it was more a routine of him batting at the book than him loving the story. Now, he sits and points to the pictures and smiles at us when the story is finished.

Calvin has always cried and become very dependent when he is ready for a nap. Now is just putting his head down on the carpet, pillows, my shoulder, etc.

Before, Cal would drink maybe 4-5 ounces of milk at a feeding...with breaks and offering the bottle repeatedly. Lately, Calvin has been drinking between 6-8 ounces all at once. He is also getting more adventurous with foods...even trying a few bites of eggs, grilled cheese, and tortellini soup.

Up to this point, Calvin has been talking mostly in short vowel syllables. These last few days, he has been talking up a storm using long-winded combinations of sounds. He really seems to have stuff to say. I just wish I knew what it was.

Calvin has been walking between me and Dan as a game for a month or so, but he always crawled on his own. Now, Cal is "cruising" around the whole house like crazy. He pulls himself up everywhere and makes laps around the house holding onto whatever he can find.

Calvin is still crawling a lot....but more quickly for sure. Here is a video of Calvin's more advanced gimpy crawl. My favorite part is the excited panting.

Our little guy is growing up, and his little body is filling out, too (at least from what we can tell from seeing his sweet bod in the bath). I agree with what Dan said this morning to Calvin as he was laughing like crazy and walking all around him on the floor, "You are so fun right now." I think we've said that all along. But it is still true now.