The Growing Caldwell Family

I am so grateful to my Mom for all the time that she spends with us.  She is a big help with the two of them and I love getting to spend time with her.   Lovie comes many mornings to bring Sarah Graves to school, hang out with me and Charlie, and keep things fun.  I hope one day I can be this helpful with my grandchildren.  

Today Charlie went for his one month check-up.  He weighs in at 12 pounds and 5 ounces (94th percentile), 22.75 inches (92nd percentile), and head circumference of 15 inches (77th percentile).  The pediatrician commented that he is the size of many 3 month olds!  Funny because he is filling out a size 3 month clothes.  I wanted to laugh when she followed up with a question about how breastfeeding is going.  I started to say, "do you really have to ask?", but decided to be the nice mommy.  :) Aside from his impressive weight gain, Charlie is doing well.  He has a case of baby acne that should be gone in the next few weeks and we need to work with him to make sure that he turns his head to both sides.  I had noticed that he favors his right side and pointed it out to our chiropractor and the pediatrician noticed it as well.  It shouldn't be a problem, but we do need to help him remember to turn his head to the left and to the right.  

Yesterday was school picture day for Sarah Graves and this is how we practiced.  Her teachers said she looked sweet for her picture, so fingers crossed for a good one! It was also curriculum night at her school.  Who would have thought at two years old we would be going to curriculum night!  It was nice to hear about how the teachers integrate educational aspects into what often seems like play.  The early preschool teachers demonstrated how they did this recently when the kids saw a rainbow outside and they used that to talk about weather and also to teach about colors while they painted.  I know I had my concerns about sending her to school full time, but she has demonstrated that she learns a lot there.  She learns a lot from the social interaction, but also about the seasons, counting, colors, shapes, and other preschool building blocks.  She also comes home singing new songs and now knows a lot of the nursery rhymes that Lovie and I have been saying for her since birth.  It

Dear Charlie, Who would believe a month would fly by so quick!  It seems like just yesterday that I reached for you in the water and our eyes locked seeing each other for the first time.  We have known each other much longer and that is evident by the way that you look at me, respond to the sound of my voice, and feel comforted just by me picking you up. Your Daddy and I always knew there was a place for a Charlie in our family and we patiently waited for you to join us.  We are so glad that we did because you have been a wonderful addition to our family.  Your big sister has loved you from the start!  She runs to you to give you kisses and hugs.  She also tells you, "I love you, Charlie" and "It's okay Charlie."  She has only had a few moments of jealousy when all attention is on you, which is pretty good for a little girl who is two.  Your Grancy has been to see you and Aunt Nay, Lovie, and Pops find it hard to stay away! For your first month, you have bee

Our last days at the beach were spent swimming and relaxing.  Jeanne' was sick some, but she did her best to not let it get her down.   Lovie spent time enjoying Charlie.   Aunt Nay put forth so much effort playing with Sarah Graves and keeping her well entertained.  One of the funniest things was listening to Robot Nay and Robot Sarah talk to each other!  This kid has an imagination and I'm not sure where she gets her inspiration! With two of them it is hard to balance my time, but having so much help made it possible for me to spend some time one on one with Sarah Graves. Aaron soaked up his time to snuggle with baby Char Char. Pops kept this silly sister very entertained whether they were pretending to go to Target and Chick-il-A or making her kick board into a surfboard!   We definitely could not have managed such a fun time if we hadn't had Lovie, Pops, and Aunt Nay there to lend a hand.  I'm not sure if we would have made it out

We had some great down time last week.  Aaron and SG enjoyed some time to play with apps and Charlie always enjoys his rest and relaxation!

We enjoyed dinner out the other night and had some yummy fried shrimp!  Fried shrimp are a favorite of mine and I can probably eat my weight in them, seriously.   Sarah Graves has had such a great time with Lovie and Nay!  I have appreciated the extra help with both babies.  Having five adults for two kids is about the right ratio! Sarah Graves enjoyed a hush puppy at dinner that she kept referring to as her "meatball."  She is a funny kid!

We took SG for a night swim the other night.  She loved it, but we thought it was a little chilly!  She loved having the pool to herself and paddled around quite happily! Nay and I chose to stay on the top step and only get a little wet! The most fun was watching her use a bucket and some water to "make" cookies.  We added all the ingredients and simulated the sound of the mixer!  When we came inside, she had Lovie put them on a pan to "bake!"  I love how fast her imagination is growing!

Monday was a rainy day so we headed out shopping.  Shopping with two babies might seem like a nightmare, but with 5 adults and 2 kids, it wasn't so hard.  Aaron and Dad did most of the child management and what a huge help that was! Tuesday was a lot prettier, but the water was still rough and it was super windy.  This made it a great time to try out the princess kite that Daddy and Grancy found for Sarah Graves!  She wasn't able to operate the kite herself, but she liked watching it!   Charlie was there tucked into his Moby wrap.

Today was our first official day at the beach and Sarah Graves was so excited!  She was the first one to get her swimsuit on and she sat so patiently while I put sunscreen on her.   She was anxious to get all of her beach toys out and load them up to take out with her. Charlie went out to the beach too!  He was a little more mellow than his sissy. She spent a lot of time making a soup for us on the beach.  She would check on it, decide it needed more pepper, and let it "cook" some more!  I love her imagination. Meanwhile, Charlie decided a snooze was more his idea of a day at the beach. Pops was happy to join in this activity. Sarah Graves had a great time going back and forth between the water and the beach. She also enjoyed riding her "surfboard" with Aunt Nay and Daddy!

This sweet guy is three weeks old!  He is pretty happy as long as he is fed on demand.  Sometimes that is every hour and a half and others it is two and a half hours!  He does sleep for about a three hour stretch at night. He has adorable facial expressions and melts my heart when he looks at me with his big eyes.  I couldn't ask for a sweeter little man.

Thursday night we took Sarah Graves to see Sesame Street Live!  I think I was as excited about it as she was! Our seats were perfect!  We had the first row of the balcony and it gave Sarah Graves a great place to hang out while she watched.  Lovie made sure that they both had Elmo shirts with their names on them! Cotton candy was a must have! I think the biggest hit was the Elmo's World segment and Mr. Noodle coming out! Watching her giggle was priceless! This little guywas a rockstar!  He nursed twice, slept in the moby wrap, and watched the last part of the show like he knew what was happening!

When Charlie was three days old Jeanne' and I set out to take newborn pictures of him.  I waited to post them until I had the birth announcement done.  We had a lot of good ones, so here are some of the additional pictures that we took.   I still can't believe that this angel is mine!