just life

enjoying his floor gym

 just chillin' with daddy by the Christmas tree after a long shopping trip

i can't pick just one! :)

3 Months!

Here's the 3 month in the chair picture.  

I was going to try again and get better lighting but I don't think it's going to happen so I'll just post this one.  

 He's a happy boy!!!

Matt's Family

        It's a momentous occasion when all of Matt's family is at one place at the same time.  Alison, Alastair and Abigail live in England, and his Nana, who doesn't travel often since she's 99 years old, and mom live in L.A.   This last week everyone was in town, so we all got together for dinner and some fun! 

When we showed up Friday night, we found Alison and Zoe having some fun together as Christmas Elves! 

 Joshua decided to color his nose red so he could be Rudolph!  He even created little stub antlers on his head (I think one is missing in this picture).

 Abigail and her daddy, Alastair!  We can tell than Al and Al love being parents!  It's been really fun getting to meet and know Abigail, who is about 2 months older than Caleb.

 An unplanned photo op! 

 Cousins!!!

The whole family!

Caleb has enjoyed spending some extra time with Uncle Al over at our house! 

We sure wish that we all lived closer, but are thankful for the times we get together! 

videos

just an FYI that we started a blog just for posting videos.  we're not posting them here simply because we want everyone to be able to view this blog easily.  we know that videos can sometimes slow computers down, and we don't want something like a slow loading page to keep people from seeing things here.  SO, if you're interested, the address is mattandcherylovideos.blogspot.com.

hopefully we can get a few good 3 month pictures soon.

Thank You GrandmaB

Caleb just wants to say thank you for his stuffed giraffe!  He gave it its first big squeeze yesterday trying to suck on its head or ear or whatever would fit into his mouth! :)

Meeting the Oldest and Youngest on Matt's Side

 Some of Matt's family came to town and Caleb got to meet them for the first time...

First was Great Nana!  She turned 99 on Sunday!

He's already met Oma Judy, but of course was happy to spend time with her again!

Then he got to meet his youngest cousin, Abigail, on a table at Mel's Diner!  He wasn't feeling too well at the time so didn't give her the attention she was hoping for.

Maybe in a few days we'll try again! :) Aunt Alison and Uncle Alastair came with Abi all the way from England!  We're looking forward to spending more time with them in the next couple weeks.  

The reason going back to work is so hard...

My favorite times with Caleb are in the morning when we get to hang out, "talk" to each other, laugh about it and just be together! Also, right after I get home from work when we sit for a half hour and just "talk" back and forth about our days!
I love seeing the details of his growth...from sitting up, to standing, to more variety in the sounds he makes, to watching him explore and discover things in the world around him.....
....i love that he interacts with us so much now! He laughs, complains, smiles, waves his arms and legs around, cries, "talks".....
...and snuggles. I love spending time together doing normal life things...even getting ready to go out.
I really love being a mom to Caleb. I agree with what everyone has said, that it's the hardest thing ever, but the best as well! The challenge I'm facing right now is already having to say goodbye for several hours a day to go to work. I'm so thankful that he gets to spend most of that time with Matt, but it is still more difficult to leave than I'd ever choose . And honestly, I don't think it will get easier. I'm taking a day at a time and looking to God for what I need, which helps, but if you think of it, please pray for me. In the midst of it all, I'm thankful that I HAVE a son to miss! I'd rather have to miss him than not have him at all!

I LOVE YOU CALEB

Getting Stronger...Showing Off!

Every day we notice little things that show how Caleb is growing in strength.

Tummy time isn't his favorite and usually only lasts for a little while, so he might actually be a bit behind....but he's trying! :) I think this is the highest he's lifted his head, and usually it's not quite this high. Step at a time!

A little rest time....oh, the cuteness! :)

Here's what he enjoys most...standing! He LOVES to stand! Of course a little help is needed, but once he's up he usually looks all around the room with a look of pride on his face! What fun!

Working all those muscles calls for a good nap!

A Good Day!

Our AMAZING friends, Chris and Rachel, are in the states for the holidays, so we drove a couple hours to meet up with them for lunch!

Sadly, we didn't get to see their boys since it would have made their trip and visit a bit too challenging, but at least they got to meet Caleb!

I think Caleb and Rachel got along quite well! :) Now we can't wait to meet their #3 coming the beginning of February!

It's been pretty amazing that no matter how far away we have lived from each other through the years, even across the globe, God has made it possible for us to get together almost every year...from Portland, to Bakersfield, toChicago, to Scotland, to Merced...now we just need to get to Australia! I LOVE YOU RACHEL and am so thankful for our friendship!

After a good visit we headed back to Sacramento where we got to enjoy an evening with Bob, who is in town to speak at a Family Life Conference. Bob and Judi have been friends of my family for as long as I can remember, so it was such a blessing to get to catch up. Bob likes to eat at places that the locals like, so we found a burger joint that is known for it's crazy cheese hamburgers. The place was even on the show,"Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" a few years ago. The cheese was unique and pretty good, but we agreed that we prefer other burgers over these...a fun experience though, and the company even better!

We got home just in time for SLEEP! Caleb gave me the best birthday present ever...NINE hours of GOOD sleep with only one interruption for eating. Then he woke up happy, full of smiles and baby conversation! LOVE IT!!!! Here he is trying his seat out again, and this time he actually enjoyed it since he's getting stronger! Still not ready for long periods of sitting, but soon!

Super Caleb!

Hi, it's me, Caleb again...here to give you a little update on me.

As you might have guessed, I'm getting stronger! One thing I really enjoy doing lately is laying with my arms straight up in the air....because I CAN!!!! And they don't even flail around!
Mommy and Daddy think I might be doing it to get ready for doing pull-ups someday.....
....or more likely that I'm trying to imitate Superman! SUPER-CALEB!!!

....but I'm telling you, i just LIKE it. It's relaxing....

....sometimes I'll even try to put my legs up at the same time, but I can't hold them up for the long periods that I can with my arms!

You should really try it sometime!!! :)

I LOVE HUGS!!!!! HUG ME......HUG ME.....HUG ME!!!!

Did I mention I'm getting stronger? I'm getting pretty good at lifting my head up and looking around for a bit.
But to tell you the truth, I usually like "tummy time" more for the hand-sucking aspect! I can fit my whole fist in my mouth, and I'm pretty sure I almost got both of them in at the same time the other day! :) I even try to sneak a slobber on mommy's knuckles sometimes too!

Honestly, though, I usually just try to focus on being as cute as possible!

(they told me to tell the whole truth, so between you and me, i also cry and fuss my fare share too...but for good reasons, like when i'm hungry, tired, have gas, etc.)

And Mommy and Daddy love me!!!....So overall I'm doing pretty well!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thursday morning, as I carried Caleb into the living room, I simply told him that I was thankful for him...and in an instant my eyes filled with tears and my heart and soul felt overwhelmed like never before! I can't explain the emotion, and I'm sure most of you know it already, but it actually surprised me! It was not only overwhelming love for Caleb, but also the recognition that the ONLY reason he is even in our lives is because God chose to create him and bring him into our lives. I've hoped for a long time that I would be able to be a mom, but I honestly feared that it might not be possible. The journey to trust God with this has been challenging but good, and brings me to today, where I don't take for granted that Caleb is in our lives! The love, joy and gratitude for him only grows, and at the same time I am continually reminded that every moment of his life belongs to God and not to me. I find great peace when I rest in this truth and then enjoy life as Caleb's mommy more than ever!

Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with family.

...and MORE family showed up! Mom and Dad drove down to see us...and of course spend some time as Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandma's love never ends for her grand-baby!

Hugs, kisses, cuddles, comfort, smiles, more hugs, and even a few dirty diaper changes!

I'm not sure who was happier that they got to spend time together- Grandpa or Caleb! I loved seeing both of them SO thrilled with each other! :) Amazing dads make amazing grandpas! :)

I think Daddy and son are thankful for each other!

And I'm pretty thankful for these two...my two favorite guys on earth! :)