Big Boy Calvin

Unfortunately there will be no pictures on this post. Nick has been using the camera at work, so I haven't even taken ANY pictures. But, with or without a camera Calvin is growing up and learning new things!

Calvin has been getting really good with his utensils lately (again, he should have done this a while ago, but just because he is a baby doesn't mean he has to be messy! LOL) So, I have been patient and today I put milk in his little cereal bowl and he did GREAT! I was so proud! Calvin does really good at dinner too, but sometimes he does give in and eat with his hands because it is faster. I even let him eat a piece of bread with peanut butter on it yesterday and was surprised by how clean he did it. Every time he got some peanut butter on his hands, he held them up to me and said "help!"

Calvin's vocabulary has just exploded this year! He can repeat almost everything! I have been very persistent with his manners, so every time he wants something all I have to say is "what do you say?" and he quickly replies "PLEASE!" He stills signs it while he says it, but eventually he'll stop that, I think..

We are still trying to work out what to do when we punish him. The corner works sometimes, but he's figured it out. When he does something naughty, we put him in the corner and bend down so he can look at us. We tell him what he did wrong and tell him not to do it again. Then he has to say "yes sir or ma'am" and give us a kiss to get out. But lately he tries to kiss us as soon as we put him in the corner... smart boy!

Calvin is still sleeping good. He lays down in his bed every night and we can hear him play with his animals for a little bit and then he is out for the night! Naps are just as easy. He even tells me some time when he is ready for his nap, it's SO wonderful! I'm hoping to convert his crib into a big boy bed around his birthday.

Calvin loves to play blocks and cars and sing! Yes, sing! Every night we sing some songs before bed. I ask him what he wants to sing and he'll tell me... "child of God" or "e-i-e-i-O" He also tries to sing along with me and it is so cute! He mostly sings the last word of each phrase of the song, or the chorus of Old McDonald (he loves to shout the O!) I try to get him to make the animal noises in the song, but he gets so excited that he just laughs at himself! So silly!

He is slowly growing out of his 18 month clothes and now we get to but 2T! I'm so excited to but him 2T! It's like a real size, not a month LOL! Calvin is still my baby no matter how big he gets! I'm trying to enjoy this time now, because I know after Laura has Cullen he won't look like my baby anymore :( I'm really curious to see how Calvin reacts to Cullen. I hope that he is sweet!

Another thing that Calvin likes to do is say everybody name. Sometimes he'll start on his own, usually with Chris or Laura! and then he goes through Emy, and Madeline, and Granny Jo. It's very cute and I'm pretty sure that he could match the face to the name. He can point out everyone on our family picture from last year, even Baby Tate! (He stills gets Ashley and Ryley mixed up sometimes!)

I think that covers every thing. Sorry about the long, photo-less post! I'm going to ask Nick to bring the camera home over the weekend!

Videos of your favorite!!!!

This is Calvin drinking from a REAL cup! I know that he should have been doing this before, but I didn't want to have to clean up any more mess than I already was! So here he is in all his glory drinking from a big boy cup and NOT making a mess! YAY!

This is Calvin being silly and "falling" down the stairs! He thought he was so funny! It is pretty darn cute!

Joyride...

... this was our theme song for the road trip. We listened to it several times, well probably more than several, more like dozens. Anyway, you should totally check it out! It is, of course, by The Killers.

We packed our apartment and left for Maryland on December 17, Thursday night in our little Sebring convertible or "heaven in a rag top"! I sat in the back with Calvin and helped him settle down for the night. We were able to drive pretty far that night, because there was no traffic or anything, we "moved across the night like a separate wind". That's how fast we were!!

When Calvin woke up in the morning it was still a little dark, so we let him watch his portable DVD player and shortly after he got sick (and he hasn't watched it since). He was so sad when he got sick and I could tell that he still felt yucky, so I held him for a little while until the sun came up. This is him still sleeping after getting sick.

We didn't want the sun to get in his eyes!

I didn't think to bring the camera to the pool with us, but here he is getting ready to go swimming, he was very excited!


He was even excited about the pack and play!


Silly boy!! He slept pretty good for being in a strange place. We hung one of his Redskin shirts on the edge of the crib for a little touch of home!


Reading in the car on the second day!

This was a rough day for Calvin. We didn't want to give him any sweets or dairy, so that he didn't get sick again. He was not happy, but he never got sick!

The trees through Iowa and Nebraska looked so sad...

Nick laughed at me, because he thought that I only thought that because they had no leaves, but when we got to the east coast, he realized what I meant.

They just looked sad!

This was Calvin's position for the trip, doesn't he look so comfortable?

There was a little bit of traffic and this is why... isn't that crazy! An 18-wheeler fell off the road!!!! I thought it was pretty crazy!

That night we picked up Emily at the Cleveland airport and Dad and Chris met us at a hotel. Calvin was so excited to see people he knew and had a lot of fun. He slept REALLY good that night all by himself! I wish that I had taken pictures! Calvin had a lot of fun the the indoor pool with Emily! They were so cute!

Not so much of a joyride on the third and last day. Calvin is not happy in this picture, because he got sick again and we were driving on a turnpike and couldn't pull over!!! It was a nightmare! I had to pull him out of his seat, change his clothes, wipe down the seat, dispose of the mess in a bag... and then Calvin was mad when I tried to put him back in his seat!!! Neither of us were very happy!

A few minutes later he calmed down and actually fell asleep until we were 30 minutes away from Crofton!

What a trooper! I thought that this trip was going to be a nightmare!!! But, Calvin was an ANGEL! He never cried, aside from whining for a drink or when he felt. He slept A LOT more than I thought. And the driving/riding (I only drove for 3 hours!) for 36 hours wasn't too bad either!! I don't plan on doing it again any time soon, but I wouldn't change a thing!

"There's something in the distance. A glorious existence, a simple celebration. A place you've never been before."

I think that his line is very fitting for our lives right now. We are starting at the beginning. Nick is starting his career and we are very excited to see where it will take us. And now that we are here for good, we hope that no matter what happens, good or bad, we have our family and it is glorious!

Quick catch up

I am finally getting around to blogging! This is the first "normal" day that I've had since we left Rexburg! Unfortunately I cannot find the camera just yet, so there will be no pictures! Sorry!

The 3 day drive went SO much better than I expected. Calvin was SO good! I cannot believe how well he did in the car for that long! I took some pictures and have a special post to blog, so check back later for more on the trip!

Christmas was wonderful in both MD and NC! It was so nice to spend so much time with family and to eat so much good food! I don't think I ever realized how much food we eat on holidays because we always ate good like that in NC, but after being away for so long and eating mac and cheese all the time, I defiantly appreciate good food a lot more!!! Calvin enjoyed ripping the paper and bringing everyone their presents! He would pick one up and shout "present, present!" Poor little Calvin opened presents, ate way too many sweets, and stayed up late almost an entire week! I was afraid that he would think that that was how we lived on the east coast! But for the past couple of nights he has slept good and taken very good naps and seems to be adjusting well to his new room (thanks to all of his Redskins memorabilia) lol!

We are living comfortably in Chris and Laura's basement and we are so grateful for their hospitality!! Calvin's room is all put together and our room is getting there!

Nick went to work for the first time this morning. I can only imagine how excited he is!

Well that is all for now. Hopefully after some unpacking and cleaning I can find the camera!