Milestone Alert: Cal is Sitting!

Cal just started sitting on his own!  For the last few weeks he's been able to "tripod" sit by leaning forward and putting his hands on the ground or by holding his feet.  But it's as if a light suddenly went off in his head and he just started sitting independently.

This has opened a whole new world for Cal as both hands are now free to play with toys.

And it's a good thing, because Cal is all about playing with toys now.

These are all my toys.  Mine mine mine.

Of course, the Exersaucer is still a major source of entertainment for Cal.

Peekaboo!

Cal has also been trying new solid foods every few days.  Besides the rice cereal, he has also had carrots and avocados, though he's still not sure what to make of it...



What's the big deal?  I got this eating thing down.

I'm a little suspicious that what I'm eating is not what you're eating

We'll continue to explore new foods.  I'm sure we're in for lots of interesting expressions!

Cal's Baptism

This past Saturday, Cal was baptised at the same church his parents were married at, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood, NJ.  He wore his father's christening gown from 30 years ago with this beautiful bib from Joe and Sheri (thank you!) that says "A baby so blessed. A promise so bright."



Is all this hoopla for me?

   

Yes, that is Cal's hand on the sign.  He was fascinated with it, and played with it (and by play I mean he kept ripping off the sign) enough that the deacon had to pause the service!

Here we are at the altar with his godparents, Uncle Joe and Aunt Beth.

  

Other than playing with the sign, Cal was on his best behavior and never cried, despite missing his morning nap, being anointed with oil twice and a very generous dousing at the baptismal font.

At the baptismal font

Candle lighting

Cal's "Lion King" moment after the baptism



 By the end, Cal was pooped and nodded off.

Afterwards, we had everyone back over for his first party.

  

 

Thanks to all family, "family" and friends who came to celebrate Cal's special day with him!

House Update: Painting

Most of the house has been painted now. 

On the outside, the trim and door have been repainted.  The front siding has also been sealed.  Once the shutters are on, the front door will be painted to match them.

On the inside, all the ceilings and most of the rooms, trim and doors have been painted.  What a difference it makes!  Since the lighting (or maybe my camera) aren't that great, I've put descriptions of the colors in.

Entrance Hall (light beige)




Dining Room (light green)




Kitchen looking into family room (bluish - gray)



Family Room (same bluish gray)

Living Room (gray, but we may change this color)

Master Bedroom (off-white)

Nursery (light blue)

Next up... floors will be refinished and stained, tile laid and cabinets put in.

Apartment Update: We're on the Market!

Finally.  After many more months than originally anticipated (you would have thought we would have learned our lesson with the house reno), the apartment is officially on the market.  The walls and ceilings were skimmed, sanded, re-plastered and re-painted, the kitchen was gutted and outfitted with new cabinets, countertop and sink/faucet, the floors were redone and the bathroom was partially re-tiled and repainted.

I don't really have much in the way of before pictures, but here are the actual pictures from the listing:



Kitchen and breakfast bar



Living room/kitchen

 

Bedroom



Bathroom

Summertime is traditionally a slow time for real estate, but now we just keep our fingers crossed and see what happens.

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!