Random Pics and Video: 7/11/11

Our little boy is getting bigger every day, and he's getting better at standing.  We recently took a picture of him and Tim which reminded me of a similar picture taken almost exactly 4 months ago (when Cal was 2 months old):

3/12/11

7/11/11

Cal is all about playing with toys right now, though it seems the object of every game is just to see how much of it he can shove in his mouth and then he just gums it endlessly.  "Toys", of course, are really just any object within reach.  He got his hands on this water bottle and was completely fascinated by it:

And before I get flooded with emails and comments, this whole thing was supervised and we realized that the cap was a choking hazard and removed it right after these pictures were taken.

It's been difficult to capture video of Cal as he seems to have found the need to explore everything and has gotten very fidgety.  Two weekends ago while we were in Edison, my brother Joe finally got some video of him.  Click on the link to see!

Cal Hanging Out

House Update: Walls and Floors

The house is really coming along now.  On the outside, the holes and cracks in the trim have been fixed up and repainted, giving it a cleaner and crisper look.  The front siding has been sealed, so all we have left on the front exterior is to put shutters on.

Most of the work is on the inside of the house now.  A lot of the trim is up, the new hardwood floors are in, and the walls have been primed for painting.

Kitchen/Family Room

Family Room

The new bluestone was also laid for the floors in the sunroom.  Right now you can still see the difference between the old and new floor, but they cut into the old floor so that there wouldn't be a line, and once the old portion is powerwashed, it will all look even.

 

Carpet on the second floor has been removed  and the old floors are in the process of being refinished.

Guest Bedroom

 

Nursery

The master suite is really taking shape now.

Master Bedroom

Master Bath Hall

Office

Next up, everything needs to get painted (who knew there were so many shades of white?!?), the floors will be stained, and tile needs to be put in for the bathrooms, laundry room and mudroom.  Oh, and we need to get furniture!

Rice Cereal: Take 2

We tried the rice cereal again today, at a slighty thicker consistency.  Cal still doesn't seem to like it very much.  The first thing he did was wrestle the spoon out of my hand.

Let's see how you do without this thing

He then proceeded to smear it all over his face, both hands, bib and highchair (seat, tray, straps, everything).   Lucky for me, I had another spoon ready to go and managed to get some in his mouth.

You won this battle, but we'll see who wins the war

I think Cal actually swallowed more food today than yesterday, but he still has a long way to go before getting this eating thing down.

I would rather eat this bib than that stuff you call food

Cal's First Food

Today we tried Cal on his first solid food.  Like most folks, we went with rice cereal as his first food, mixed with breastmilk so that the taste and smell would be familiar.  First off, this stuff looks pretty gross. 

Uh guys, I'm not sure about this

Cal wasn't quite sure of what to make of the spoon. 

Is this a new toy?



It smells like food, so it must be okay

Then he quickly decided that this was not his cup of tea.

Eew!  What is this?!

More of it probably ended up on Cal's chin and bib than in his mouth, but he did end up eating some.   I don't think he liked it too much, but the faces he made were priceless!


Why don't you try this stuff and see how much you like it.

We'll keep at it.  Once Cal gets a little more used to eating the rice cereal, we'll start introducing other vegetables.

Happy 6 Months!

Over the Fourth of July weekend, Cal turned 6 months old.

We had a nice, relaxing long weekend.  We went on a short hike at the Celery Farm, which for non-native Ridgewood folks, is a small nature preserve that has nothing to do with celery or farming.

Great-Grandma Bridget (GG) visited:

It seems like only yesterday that we brought Cal home from the hospital.  He was so tiny and fragile, and all he did was eat, poop and sleep.  But Cal is quickly becoming a little boy.

He is now very interactive, rolls over, plays on his tummy, sits for very short periods and is interested in seeing, touching and grabbing (and then putting in his mouth) everything.  

Cal is also totally obsessed with bouncing right now.  The Exersaucer wasn't quite enough, so one of Nana's friends very generously lent us a jumpy seat:

Official stats from today's checkup:

     Weight: 18 lbs, 5 oz. (75th percentile)

     Height: 26.5 inches (50th - 75th percentile)

     Head: 45 cm (75th percentile)

Also from today's checkup - we have the go ahead to start him on solid foods.  Cal has been sitting in a highchair at the kitchen table for awhile now, but for the last couple weeks he has been intently interested in us eating.  This should be interesting!

Apartment Update: Countertops Completed

We're almost done!  The granite countertops were installed today:




The floors are set to be refinished next week and then this baby is going on the market!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!  Cal and Tim got to spend some quality time together yesterday.  Here they are reading Cal's present to Tim, Daddy and I.

The best present though, was that Cal rolled over (from his back to tummy) for the first time!  Although he has been very close for awhile now, it turns out he just needed proper motivation.  His stuffed puppy dog and showing off for his daddy seemed to do it.

Cal really enjoys spending time in his Exersaucer.  He is particularly obsessed with the orange fish and has even pried some of the toys off!

He is also really learning to use his arms and hands - in particular reaching for objects and bringing them to him.



Gimme the toy!  I want it.  I want it!



Yes!  Thank you.