One Month Left of One Year

Happy 23-month birthday, lil Caleb Luke! I simply cannot believe my baby will no longer be one year old next month. In the world's eyes, this is considered to be a big boy - he'll need his own plane ticket, his own paid plate at the buffet, his own entry pass into theme parks, etc. He is becoming a big boy in so many ways already that this too makes me sad even though I do love this age of sheer cuteness.

One thing I'm thankful for about this age is that he can now climb into the car himself. While I don't mind lifting him, the fact that he can get in keeps him from roaming around the outside of the car while I'm unloading my arms with whatever we're bringing along for our outing (be it toys, drinks, a diaper bag, etc). He even can buckle the top part of his car seat already, which is something Joshua just recently learned how to do. But, since his big brother is doing it, he insists on doing it, too.

Caleb is also sleeping with a big boy pillow, which we got him a couple weeks ago. He now wants two blankets on to sleep, and he often asks to cuddle in our bed before going to his own bed (which we've limited since we don't want to create the same issues we've had with the Bean).

We always sing before bed as we rock, and now he sings along, pronouncing most of the words and singing pretty well in tune. His favorites are 'Sunshine,' 'Wonderful,' 'God Song' and 'Goodnight' (his names for the songs).

I've also noticed some differences as he grows older. He's eating a bit more variety of foods. For example, he likes hot dogs now and will eat them if we cut them into small pieces. We haven't really pushed meat for him since Joshua detests it, but Caleb is actually a pretty good eater now and will eat at almost every meal. He prefers water to juice (which is good!), loves milk (and especially chocolate milk), and will drink fairly well out of a straw now.

The other day when I handed him his cup, he said "PURPLE!" I think he's starting to recognize colors more and more, but I know that doesn't really typically happen until age three. He will sit down and spend time coloring whereas before he was always on the move. He'll sit a little longer for TV than in the past, and his favorites are Curious George and Veggie Tales. He really likes Veggie Tales, which makes me happy.

He'd still prefer to play and be active more than anything, and my boy has NO FEAR! He will climb heights and has already displayed his athletic ability to us. We can tell he has a bit more coordination like his Daddy and is a strong little bubba!

Caleb loves water and doesn't mind his head getting wet. He loves to splash and play in the water. He loves his summer-time Crocs and put one on by himself the other day (backwards, but still a good effort). Caleb is solidly in 24-month clothing and he can get mostly undressed by himself. He's also speaking in pretty good sentences these days. He told Daddy that he had to go to work this morning, which we laughed at.

One of my favorite things about Caleb is his all around sweetness and soft-spoken personality. He speaks so softly and gently and is so cute to listen to. He's also really kind (even though we've seen a stubborn streak coming out in him). I love when he talks to Joshua and says "Thank you, JOSH!" His Joshua sounds almost like a Dubois accent. He adores his older brother. He also loves his momma & dadda and is still a bit strange around other folks and 'unsure' as my sister Jen said one day when I left the boys with her for a little bit. He doesn't dislike other folks, but he just prefers his immediate family. I understand that that's part of this age, too. We love our lil' Caleb Luke - and he now says "Tay-leb" and "Bluke." Happy last month of your one year!