Calvin Snacks with Bop-Bop

So Calvin has been very aware of photos and pictures around the house lately, which is pretty fun. The other day, I set him up with a little entourage to provide some company while snacking on some goldfish.

Among other things, I really dig the way he says, "Niiiiiiice."

Calvin and Michaela are in the middle of a trip to Tucson, where Coco and Skipper are very patiently helping us get this "walking" thing down....





Also, there are some photos available for viewing at Snapfish.

Seriously? For a one-year-old?

There is a birthday party in the works. A birthday party! For Calvin! Who is turning one and, as such, will have no memory whatsoever of the festivities. And yet, we march onward, locating a Chicago Park District space, ordering cake, procuring a Wiggleworms teacher to lead a class. It all seems rather ridiculous, on the surface.

And yet... if it will make him as happy as his first Christmas and Hanukkah did, I kind of don't really give a damn if he remembers it or not. (More photos at Snapfish.)

Firsts

There is much ado made, and rightly so, about a child's firsts - first tooth, first step, first word, all that good stuff. And while I totally respect that, I think people don't talk enough about the negative firsts. There is a palpable sense of relief that comes with living through them - first illness, first head bonk, first fall - and knowing that you can deal with whatever they dish up.

So today? First choking. Calvin is super into eating, and finding new and exciting finger foods for him has been something of a challenge. While I make most of his food myself, I recently decided to branch out into the pre-made stuff to make the quest for finger food a little easier, which is why I picked up the Wagon Wheels.

I wasn't sure about them. They're definitely a little big... but given how much he seems to enjoy biting Cheerios in half, crunching down those tiny top teeth against those tiny bottom teeth, I figured it was worth a try - maybe he'd be able to do some good biting with them.

And then - the typical story - I turned my attention away for a few seconds to talk to Marc as he came out of the bedroom. And when I turned back, Calvin's eyes were big and filling with tears, his mouth wide open.

The infant CPR class we took certainly flashed through my mind, but the thought of pulling off the high chair tray, unclipping him, pulling him out of the chair, turning him over on my knee, and then smacking his back to remove the offending Wagon Wheel? That was all dismissed in a split second as I grabbed his cheeks with my left hand and went digging with my right index finger, reaching in and pulling all the food out of his mouth and throat.

It was silent for a second, and then Calvin started to scream. Marc pulled him out of the chair, I went to wash my hands, and five minutes later, all was right with the world again as Calvin resumed his lunch (sans Wagon Wheels, clearly). And now I've been through that first. And I know I can handle it.

So. That said, I know we're also well overdue for an update. On the list of good firsts? First road trip, which Calvin experienced over three weeks in October-November. Photos, as always, at Snapfish.

Calvin, Prankster

He may have figured out that if he drops things, we catch them. Or try to. Or say "whoa!" However it works, it gets a laugh.

6-month Pediatrician Visit

Not having internet at home makes things difficult. Amazing to think that, just six years ago, I lived my online life using the U of C dial-up connection. It was slow, but I just dealt with it. Can't even fathom that now.

Anyway, there's my excuse for the lack of updates. Many photos are overdue, including the fabulous ones that Ethan shared from Calvin's baptism. Will have to wait, though, as we are off to the Wisconsin wilderness for several days.

In the short term, though - as the post title implies, Calvin had his 6-month pediatrician visit last week, where we were assured that he is, in all ways, normal. And told that yes, he may well spit up more than other babies... but no, there is nothing to be done about it. He'll probably get over it by the time he's a year old. So continuing to dress in old t-shirts it is!

Length: 26-3/4 inches (50th-75th percentile)
Weight: 16 pounds 12 ounces (25th-50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 43 centimeters (25th percentile)

Got His Mom's Appetite, Apparently

Our baby books say infants can start on solids any time between 4 and 6 months, but that the American Association of Pediatrics recommends waiting til 6 months, and if you start at 4, it's really not going to add anything to baby's diet because he/she will just spit it all out and not have the control necessary to swallow, yadda yadda yadda.

Then we went to the pediatrician who said, among other things, that if Calvin seemed interested in the food we were eating, he's probably ready to start solids.

Whenever he watches us eat a meal, it's like he's staring into our souls, he watches so intently. So we figured it was time.

Here he is getting ready to eat his first rice cereal meal:


And here he is after:


Anyway, we have since moved on to bananas and sweet potatoes, and he has loved both, to the extent that he cried angrily when there were no sweet potatoes left. Tomorrow: zucchini!

Many more photos available at Snapfish, documenting other firsts, including meeting the senior Murphys and taking a trip to Hyde Park.