Renaissance Man

Here lately, Caleb has been working on becoming a well-rounded 18 month old - a Renaissance Man (or Baby), if you will.  He has an affinity for books and music, as any Renaissance Man should.  In fact, he even has begun to memorize such classic prose as Goodnight Moon.  When we reach the part of the book about the old lady who whispers hush, he always makes sure to join in (at the perfect time) with "Hush!"  His desire for music to be playing at all times is insatiable, and his dancing...well, words cannot describe satisfactorily the joyful movement that is his dancing. 
He has continued to expand his knowledge on all things agrarian.  His animal noises are impeccable, especially the snake and sheep.  And on his wooden puzzles, he never mistakes the duck for the chicken or the cow for the horse. 
In addition to these subject matters, Caleb has expanded his repertoire to other areas as well, including cleaning.  He can clean the bathroom in mere seconds.  [Just to be clear, by "clean" I mean grab everything in reach and in the drawers (toothpaste, lotion, brushes, floss, etc.), throw them in the bathtub, and turn the water on.]  Likewise, his kitchen "organization" skills are quite impressive.  [I say "organization," but perhaps the more accurate term would be "disorganization."  In any event, he can go far in life as a kitchen-obstacle-course-maker (those exist, don't they?).]

He can  rake the leaves like a champ...

 Decorate for fall by artfully arranging pumpkins...

 And do laundry all day long.

 Like his dad and Papaw Clyde, he's not afraid to work on cars.  Tires, mirrors, exhaust pipes - you name it - he tries to touch them all when walks by them.  He's already gotten some grease on his hands.  Until his dad really lets him work on the cars, this car will have to do:

 Of course, a true Renaissance Man can go from scholarly and technical in the daytime to dashing and debonaire at night with no problem.  Caleb is a perfect example in his suit and tie:

Someday, Caleb will leave home and wed some lucky lady who will get to enjoy all of these skills and attributes, but until that day, I'm the lucky lady who gets to be this Renaissance Baby's mama.

Photo Shoot 2014: The Outtakes

 We may not hang any of these pictures on the walls, but they're a good reminder of what life is like with a toddler...

"Lets honk Daddy's nose!"

"Mom, you got lipstick on me...AGAIN!"

"If you don't put me down in 3...2...1..."

"...I'm making a break for it!"

Mom looks much more engrossed in the book than Caleb!

"Give me that baby!"

 

We were doing flips...I promise he didn't fall on his head!"

"Please, no more pictures."

"Are you taking MORE pictures?!"

"Finally, I can relax and get comfy!"

Photo Shoot 2014

We recently had another photo shoot with the talented Alison Umbarger.  There are so many cute pictures that I'm having a hard time deciding which ones to print to hang in the house.  What do you think?  Here are some of my favorites:

Which are your favorites?  

I'll post some of my favorite "outtakes" later...

Faithful, Bold & Brave

Forever ago, when we had just brought Caleb home, my church had a shower for us, and one of the gifts I received is a beautiful, hand-made piece of wall art that has Caleb's name and the meaning behind it painted on it (in colors that coordinated perfectly with the rest of his room, I might add).  Fast-forward to today and Caleb must know that there is something special about that wood hanging on the wall because in the past few weeks whenever we walk by it, he points and says "Ahh!" (meaning, "Please read that to me, Mama.").  I am more than happy to oblige him because it just gives me another opportunity to tell him about the kind of man I pray that he becomes:  one who is faithful, bold and brave, just as Caleb in the Old Testament was.

Caleb, may this sign serve as a reminder to you of the hopes we have for you and of the only One who is truly faithful - for it is only with him that you can fully achieve such lofty aspirations.
Thank you, Christina, for such a thoughtful gift.  It has been and will continue to be the prompt for many meaningful conversations. 

Leaps and Bounds (...and Baby Steps)

So this started happening a few weeks ago:

Caleb is officially walking without help from anyone.  Yes, he falls to his bottom every now and then, but for the most part, walking is his primary means of mobility.  And of course, we've completed all the necessary baby-proofing...because nothing three feet and below is safe from his grasp now! 
On this special milestone, I find myself thinking back to a year ago when he was so small and when no one knew what sort of health repercussions he would suffer as a result of his premature birth.  All kinds of scary sounding medical words were tossed around by various health practitioners, conditions that we might have to deal with indefinitely, and I remember most of my time being preoccupied with scheduling and attending a myriad of doctor's appointments. 
Now, over a year later, Caleb has been thoroughly checked over by all the doctors and specialists, and miraculously, nothing abnormal can be found.  On the contrary, by all accounts, he seems to be a healthy, happy, normal toddler.  He's closing the gap between where he is developmentally and where other full-term 15 month old babies are (not too shabby considering they had an extra three months in the womb!).  He's growing like a weed, and in his last check up, he was at over 50% for height and weight of other babies his age (not his adjusted age).  He has five teeth now, and he's (finally) started to sign words like "please" and "all done" to us during meal time.  He loves his books, and he can identify many items in them by pointing at them when asked where the item is.
I know it sounds like I'm bragging...Maybe I am a little, but mostly I am just so grateful.  This could have turned out quite differently (and it still could), but the Lord has been so gracious to us.  So when Caleb is taking all of the contents out of the bathroom drawers and laying them in the floor (or the bath tub) for the fiftieth time of the day, I pray that I would be thankful for that because he's just doing what normal toddlers do.  And when he picks up every last thing he can find in the floor and puts them all in his mouth, may it remind me of God's goodness and faithfulness to us.  And when he pokes his grubby little fingers at my mouth and nose over and over again throughout the day, may it be an obvious reminder to me of the amazing miracle that this little guy is.