baby names

We've found it interesting that so many boys around us lately have Old Testament names...

Joshua

Caleb

Jacob

Asher

Malachi

Elijah

Noah

Ezra....

We're wondering if in a few years some of the less common ones will start becoming popular....

Belshazzar

Og

Habakkuk

Balaam

Mephibosheth

and my personal favorite- Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz!

Me and Daddy!

I love my Daddy...and he loves me! We really like spending time together!

When he comes home from work he really likes to hold me for a long time. I try to talk to him, he helps me sit up and even try to stand, which makes me smile, and after I get tired out he lets me sleep on him...then he sometimes watches "I Love Lucy" with Mommy.

Last week was the first time I ate with Daddy. He gave me a bottle and I think I did pretty good, even though I didn't eat as much as when I eat with Mommy. I'm getting better at it every night, which I think makes mommy really happy since she always kisses me over and over in the morning and tells me what a great job I did. She was so happy that she was able to sleep for 7 hours in a row for the first time since I was born! She said Daddy and I are her heroes! She hasn't felt so good for over a month! Not only is she happy that Daddy can help feed me once a night but also that I've been sleeping for 6 to 7 hours in a row for the last few nights! The remaining challenge for her is sleeping through my grunting and noises through the night.

The other day Daddy's friend, Mr. Diehl (Greg), stopped by. There's a lot of people from our church that get really excited to see and hold me. He was really nice and even made me smile a lot.

He and daddy decided to measure me since everyone says how LONG I look! I am now about 23 inches...almost TWO FEET!!! :) I'm already wearing all of my 3-month-old clothes and might get too tall for them if I keep growing so fast.
Daddy likes taking care of me as much as mommy...and even helps change my diapers. I get upset from indigestion a lot and one of the things that helps the most is when he holds me in his arms and bounces up and down. He also bicycles my legs to help me get all the gas out. When he kisses me his whiskers tickle and it makes me smile. I also love hearing his voice and looking around til I find him. He's such a good Daddy!!!

Family Day

Although I feel horribly behind on sleep, I decided it was worth sacrificing some more of it to have some good family time. (I hear it's pretty impossible to catch up anyway, at least for a while.) So last Friday we headed up to Apple Hill, an area nearby with several orchards and all kinds of fall fun for kids and families.

After looking through craft booths and little shops, we went to find some fresh apples and came across this one as big as Caleb's head!

He slept most of the time but gave us some good smiles while he woke up to eat!

Ok, so of course, being his mom, I think every picture of Caleb is worth showing...even when they are very similar, since he is just SO handsome and I am in awe of every look and new thing he does. BUT, I'll resist and just give you a few....although it's hard to choose! :)

Our favorite....sweet mommy/son moments!

He loves to lift up his head and use his neck muscles...but then he often slams it back down on my shoulder or against my face without control. It doesn't seem to bother him though. :)

First pumpkin picture with Daddy and Caleb!

...and i think this is our first family self portrait! Turned out pretty good considering we took it super quick before Caleb broke into tears from being tired out. It was a great day and hopefully we'll get to go again before the season passes. Now...i need some more sleep...:)

One Month Old!

Happy One Month Old Caleb!!!

Our friends, Matt and Sharon, had a great idea that I decided to steal. They took pictures of their daughter next to a giant teddy bear as she grew to show how she changed. We don't have a giant teddy bear so we figured we'll just use the concept and take pictures in the same chair every month.

Since I completely forgot to take the picture until tonight, right before fussiness started, we didn't have time to plan an outfit, get the lighting right or take several shots until it was perfect, but I think these will do anyway. Thanks to Aunt Cindy for the cute pjs! :) Maybe we'll give him a different stuffed animal each time too.

Bonus pictures! :) Just can't help myself!

We tried the teddy bear idea out with my bear, but it wasn't working out too well. Plus, he's pretty dusty and not too much bigger than Caleb already. He looks like a good friend though :)

SMILES!!!

Last week Caleb SMILED for the first time, and more than once...and NOT from gas! :) I think it has given me more energy despite lack of sleep more than anything since he's been born.

It's still hard to catch on camera but Matt managed to get a couple decent pictures. Next time we'll try to get a video to post!

SUPER CUTIE!!!

Cindy and I got Caleb some black and white books, which he already loves looking at.

I found a way for him to enjoy them on his own...maybe he'll start reading soon too! :)

Caleb loves his daddy! More smiles!

Please pray for me. Caleb is already a month old tomorrow, which means that time is quickly passing. Only a few more weeks until my maternity leave is over. We have many decisions to make about work, finances, moving (not out of Cali, just to a less expensive/larger place), etc. There is still the possibility that I might not have to work full time, but if I do, I honestly don't know how I will handle it. I can't even think about it without falling to pieces emotionally right now. I want to trust God and be at peace but I'm finding it more challenging than ever. Please pray that God will not only provide, but that I will be able to trust Him and find rest in whatever happens. Thanks so much!

Grandma Oldham comes to vist!

A.K.A. Oma Judy, came to see Caleb this last weekend! It was great to catch up and just get time to spend together!

Caleb and I often spend time at Matt's work to get out of the house for a while. It was fun to have Judy join us this time!
Of course when Oma Judy is around, the whole family gets together. I think Opa Chuck always has a smile on his face when kids are around!
Cousins!!! Zoe is a natural babysitter already! :) After crying for a bit, Caleb calmed down and fell right to sleep. (Zoe doesn't like the camera)
Joshua also did a great job holding his newest cousin. I don't think I've ever seen him so focused and intent on being careful while Caleb was on his lap. He was so proud!!!

Can you see who's the center of attention?! I think he likes it! :)

We're looking forward to our next family gathering, in December, when the WHOLE family will be here all the way from England!!!

So Much Love for Caleb!

SO many people were anxious to come to meet Caleb at the hospital- family, church friends, co-workers, kids at work...- but since I was so exhausted as well as needing to feed Caleb, we ended up asking people to wait until later to meet him. It was a hard decision since we love people and were excited for everyone to meet Caleb, but it was a good choice. After being home a few days, though, I couldn't wait any longer. We started by inviting a couple people over at a time each day. When Caleb was about a week old, it became clear that I needed to get out of the house a little each day, so we went looking for more people who had been patiently waiting.

I had not planned on bringing Caleb into my workplace (full of kids and germs), but when we stopped by I made the mistake of poking my head in the door to ask for a co-worker to come outside to meet him. As soon as I did, someone yelled my name and all the kids found out that I was outside. Not long after, a staff member came out and said that the kids were dying to meet him, that they promised to be quiet and not touch him if I let them come out to see him. How could I say no. A minute later a stream of kids came out the front door, quieter than I've EVER seen them! They all seemed so proud and happy to meet him! I'm so glad it worked out so soon!
Cheryl, a close friend from work came over and was SO HAPPY to hold Caleb!
Julie, another good friend from work, who came with two others, who are also from work. I really enjoyed their interest in hearing the entire story of his birth! It was fun telling it and having people care about such a huge experience in our lives!
Kara stopped by and let us borrow her computer, since ours wasn't working when we got home from the hospital. This was a huge blessing since a computer is how I stay connected with family and friends around the world. It was harder than I would have imagined to have to wait several days to communicate anything with people who were anxiously waiting to hear and see all about Caleb. Thank you Kara!
More friends from work came by on their lunch break! Caleb didn't mind at all being passed around two or three times! :) He slept through it all.
Even Tasha, one of the gals at my doctor's office was anxiously waiting to meet him! We stopped by just for her and even had the chance to talk to our doctor as well. I've been SO thankful for the entire staff at my doctor's office. They've been amazing and I'll even miss my monthly and weekly visits.
Kim, from work. Caleb is shirtless since I hadn't yet learned that I need to pack an extra shirt or onesie for every outing. Of course he peed on the one he was wearing when we left. It was a hot day anyway, so he didn't seem to mind.

Our good friend, Gabe and his son....

...and his wife Jaime came to visit and share some love with Caleb....

And their daughter, Adelaide.

Can you see where Caleb gets his good looks?! :) Proud and Happy Daddy! Our first BIG outing was to a friend's wedding...11 days old. We had a great time but probably should have left early, since I was wiped out for the entire next day or two. Almost everyone from our church was there, so it gave people a chance to see him, although he slept for most of the time next to me in a sling....too many people to pass him around just yet.

So as you can see, Caleb is fully loved from the start. I quit taking pictures of everyone who met and held him since it has been so many. It's even fun to see strangers at the store so interested in him. Matt's customers at Starbucks have even been super excited when we've brought him into the store! We were even congratulated through rolled down windows at a stop light one day on our way home by one of them! So much love....and it's still coming. Honestly, I needed a couple days to just be alone with Caleb and recuperate from it all the last couple days. But I'm thankful!!!

Now...time for bed. Goodnight.

Proud Parent Pictures!

Ok, so we're pretty proud of our little guy....and of course he's the CUTEST BOY IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!! None cuter! :)

Thursday evening, when just 16 days old, Caleb gave us his first "happy face" while I bounced him on my lap, talked to him and kissed his cheeks. Not quite a smile yet but at least happiness in his eyes! And no, it wasn't gas this time (although this shows up quite often and gets some pretty funny and smiling faces as well). He brightened our night for about 20 minutes before sleep came over him once again!

Just being cute before his second showing of his Happy Face the next day!!!

First some silliness!!!

Connecting with him brought mommy "happy tears." These moments are amazing! I can't imagine how it will be once he really smiles, laughs and interacts even more! It's truly amazing watching a little boy change and grow in so many ways each day!

Aunt Cindy caught the look on camera!!! I could stare at this boy for hours!

Please pray for Caleb's digestion. We're thankful it's not colic but it's still hard to watch him daily, and almost hourly, cry over uncomfortable stomach issues. We usually find one thing or another that eventually helps it pass, but it's still hard and tiring.

Tomorrow Caleb will be 3 weeks old! The doctors say he's healthy and doing great! He's already grown a couple inches and is in the 90th percentile in height. He quickly regained weight and eats very well. He sleeps pretty well at night, although I'd be happy if he'd add one more hour after each time he eats. Until then, napping with him during the day helps. We've been super thankful for meals from church, encouragement from friends, and love from so many. Thanks to everyone who has loved us and Caleb in one way or another over the last month. We love each of you!

Meeting the Family!

Without question, Caleb is already loved by his whole family!!!

After mom left, Cindy came for a week to get some good Auntie time and help me out at home!

A couple gifts from Aunt Cindy! :)

Grandpa Oldham, aka Opa Chuck, looking quite proud!

Aunt Beth and the kids have come to visit as well! We also had the chance to Skype with Uncle Alastair and Aunt Allison, and introduce Caleb to his cousin Abigail, who is only 2 months older! Once again, we're thanking God that we live in the age of Skype capabilities!

And of course Uncle Bob came over one evening to celebrate with Matt and Dad during the "I'm a new Daddy" guy celebrations!

Now we're looking forward to Grandma Oldham, aka Oma Judy, coming this week and hopefully skyping with Uncle Craig and soon-to-be Aunt Paulette! We're so thankful that Caleb immediately has so many people who love and care for him!....and this is just his FAMILY!!! more visiting pictures to come...