This is Calvin’s new favorite pastime:
He’s pulling himself up on everything. He’s also just started sticking his tongue out all the time:
Not sure what that’s about, but it’s pretty cute!
Calvin’s new favorite thing is to pull himself up to standing – he’s very proud of his new skill. I think it’s time to take out the bassinet insert in his pack-n-play, or the kid is going to take a dive over the side!
Calvin hit the 6 month milestone this week. We are having so much fun with him right now. He’s definitely a little charmer!
He’s still working on his crawling. I thought once he figured it out he’d be all over the place, but so far that hasn’t been the case. He’ll crawl a short distance to get to something he wants, but he’s been more interested in climbing over stuff and trying to pull himself up on furniture (or people). This morning he pulled himself all the way up to standing in his pack-n-play, then smacked his cheek on the railing trying to get back down – poor baby! Just today he started venturing a little farther when he crawls, but we’ve been lucky so far as he’s taking his time.
He’s got a variety of toys now, but he shows the most interest in other stuff. Anything we use is interesting to him (of course!) – the camera, the remote, our phones. My iPhone battery was going down the tubes, so I got a new phone. We loaded the old one with some Calvin-appropriate apps (bubble wrap!) and let him play with it. He thinks he’s getting away with something!
He also really likes playing with the PVC pipes from his dismantled activity gym that Eric made – way better than any toys! But he does play with regular toys, too.
It’s almost wrong to call it “play” since he’s usually so serious! He’s investigating his surroundings and trying to figure everything out. But he has plenty of goofy moods, too. Eric is especially good at getting him laughing. I love this picture – he looks like a funny little elf!
He’s eating well and likes the solid foods a lot. We still have a ways to go with the sleeping, but we’re working on it. Ultimately we’re just grateful to have a thriving, healthy, happy baby.
Calvin and I had some photos taken as a surprise for Eric for Father’s Day. The photographer, Tim Wheaton, is an old friend from elementary school. I saw some of his work on Facebook (where else?) and really loved it. I was a little worried that we wouldn’t end up with any good photos because Calvin was very serious and very squirmy through most of the shoot. But Tim did a great job and I’m so happy with the end result. Eric loved them, too. If you are in Southern California and want to get some pictures taken, give Tim a look – I recommend him highly.
Calvin is just starting to crawl. He’s been working towards it for so long now, it’s nice to see him have some success! He’s got a really cute mix of regular crawl steps with little frog hops – he’ll rarely take more than 3 or 4 crawl steps without throwing a hop or two in there. If he gets tired, he’ll still do the inchworm – hop his legs forward and then lay down to try to reach something. Either way, he’s able to cover a fair amount of ground now. On Saturday he made a break for it and tried to get outside – it’s the most I’ve seen him crawl in one go, but of course I didn’t have the camera running. The other night he was sleep crawling – for over an hour, every time I put him back down in his crib, he’d flip over and get up on all fours and try to crawl, eyes closed, totally asleep. It was crazy! When I picked him up, he’d go totally limp. He’s just working so hard on developing the skill that his poor little brain won’t give him a break.
He’s sitting up really well now, too. For a long time he showed no interest and if I tried to sit him up he’d fling himself backwards or to the side. Ever since he figured out how to sit up on his own, though, he’s gotten really into it.
We’ve had a hard time getting good video of the crawl. In this clip you’ll see him get frustrated because I keep moving the toys just out of reach to try to keep him crawling. Mean Mom!
doneHe’s showing a lot of interest in containers – his favorite toy right now is a little plastic tub that we keep some of his other toys in. He likes to dump it out and play with it. He’s also started to explore and go after the bins of clothes that we keep on the lower shelf of the changing table. He’s doing a bit more climbing and pulling himself up on things, too. He’s not pulling all the way up to standing, but he’s getting close enough that we have to lower his crib mattress to make sure he can’t get out of the crib.
He is one active kid right now! It’s a lot of fun to watch his new skills develop.
Yesterday we took Calvin to the San Diego Zoo for the first time. I think he was more interested in the people than the animals, but he had a great time riding in the carrier and looking at everything. He was squealing and squawking and having a good old time. Plus, he slept the whole way down there and the whole way back. What a good boy!
Calvin is enjoying his visit with his Aunt Dana. She sends him lots of cute clothes:
She puts up with abuse:
She takes cute pictures of him:
She makes him laugh and gives him lots of love:
What’s not to like?
Uncle Ivan is pretty fun, too:
We had a really nice day today. Donuts for breakfast, went for a walk at the beach with Eric’s sister, Dana, and had lunch on the pier, then went to Eric’s brother Ivan’s house for a BBQ and a yummy lemon Father’s Day cake (thanks, Treana!). The weather was lovely – it was a good day to celebrate Eric’s first father’s day. He’s an amazing dad, and I’m so grateful for him. I know Calvin would say the same, if he could talk!
Tomorrow we’re heading down to the zoo, and I’ll try to post a few more pictures from Dana’s visit.
done
We got Calvin a jumper/exersaucer a couple of weeks ago, but he only recently discovered the jumping feature:
doneHis attempts at crawling continue to evolve. He’s not going backwards anymore, but still hasn’t quite figured out that he needs to move his hands forward. He’ll pick up one hand and balance, but in order to move towards something he hops his legs forward and then lays down:
doneHe’s a happy boy:
doneHe’s working on sitting up, but hasn’t quite mastered it:
doneThis week we’re looking forward to a visit from Calvin’s Aunt Dana – I’m sure there will be lots of new pictures and videos to post!
