It may not be a box, but...

It is a well known fact that if you give a kid a special gift he will find the box it came in more fun.  Well, we bypassed this issue by removing the big gifts from their boxes before giving them, like the Learning Home and the Grooving Table (cool names, huh?).  We were outsmarted, though.  Clearly it's not the box that is so appealing, but the box's simplicity.  We learned this because even though Calvin clearly loves the door and the table, and pretty much all of his new toys, his absolute favorite new item seems to be the rolling cylinder that his uncle Steve and aunt Rachel gave him.  Yes, it's just a beach ball like inflatable cylinder, and it is possibly the most fun he has had yet!  It encourages and allows him to be much more physically active and mobile - and he just loves going crazy on the thing. 

A big week

We have been very remiss in updating our journal here, and the only thing we have to say in our own defense is that it has been one crazy, and fun, week!  We'll see if we can give a brief recap.  On Wednesday our friends Steve and Rachel arrived to spend a few days before Christmas.  This is an annual tradition in our home that includes lots of Christmas shopping, video games, and Christmas movies (particularly "Christmas Vacation").  This year was no disappointment.  As usual, Steve arrived from Seattle having neither done nor planned any of his Christmas shopping.  But as stressful as that sounds it has become a traditional challenge for all of us to help him get it all done in just one or two days, and we have yet to fail!  This trip was also their first chance to meet Calvin.  Unfortunately, we can't say that he was on his very best behavior, which brings us to the next big happening of the week - Calvin's first tooth!  At this point it has fully cleared the gum but isn't all the way in.  This is a bittersweet milestone, as it means that we will be saying goodbye to that adorable gummy grin of his, but we know that toothy grins can be just as cute, which brings us to the last happening of the week, Calvin's very first birthday party!  Not his own, obviously, but a birthday party just the same!  Last night we joined in celebrating Liesl's first birthday.  One thing that we have learned - the first birthday party is mostly about the adults (hence the wine being served in the kitchen).  Nevertheless, Calvin seemed to have as much fun as we did.  Liesl got some great new toys for her birthday and was more than willing to share (like the wine, the easy sharing is likely something that won't be seen at birthday parties again for many years to come).  We had a great time meeting other young families, and taking notes on how to throw a great first birthday party.  We see a grilling party and a new turtle shaped sandbox about six months into our future...

Baby play

Babies love other babies, or so we had heard.  It wasn't until more recently, however, that Calvin really started to interact with other little munchkins more his size.  Cortney and Calvin went on a field trip today to spend some time with a new mom and baby who needed some uplifiting words and a little advice (those first three weeks can be hard).  Cortney's friend, Becky, and her daughter, Liesl, were a big part of this outing, too, and Calvin really seemed to make a connection with Liesl while we were there.  Of course, he's seen her numerous times in the past, but this time he really seemed to be communicating with her, even if she was too busy to care much.  He was clearly very intrigued, and perhaps a bit perplexed, by her ability to move about so easily.  We have a feeling that if he spends too much time with her his snail paced commando crawl will become a full fledged crawl that much faster!

Tricks and treats

Yep.  Having kids keeps you young.  Or maybe we were immature all along, it's hard to say, but we were both excited about Halloween all day.  Jon even came home early from work so that we could be ready.  We decorated with a flag, a wind sock, and, of course, a family of jack-o-lanterns, and then we dressed up.  Actually, we dressed up our son (and took lots of pictures which are in the 21st week photo album) and just wore head gear ourselves.  We took turns taking our little giraffe for short neighborhood strolls while the other parent handed out treats, and Jon walked around the corner to visit Kristin and Matt's and even scored some candy in the process (they had better stuff than we did...).  The evening really tired the little guy out - all the visitors and the barking dogs and the cool fresh air - and he zonked out a little earlier than usual even.  There is a bit of sadness here, too, as we realize that this was Calvin's first real "first" holiday, and now it has gone by.  That and he won't be able to wear the giraffe costume again next year...  But we are looking forward to sharing the upcoming holiday season Calvin and teaching him all about our traditions!  Yes, having children does keep us young, and it gives these holidays a deeper, richer meaning that we are really enjoying!

 

Baby proofing (or lack thereof)

We had visitors today.  Actually, it would be more truthful to say that Calvin had visitors today - it's rare that anyone comes solely to asee us anymore.  At least we recognize and freely admit this fact.  So, to start again, Calvin had visitors today in the form of our friends Amy, from around the corner, and Becky and, most importantly (you see how this works, don't you?), her daughter Liesl.  It doesn't seem that long ago that Liesl visited us for the first time and tested our baby equipment and our dogs, but believe it or not it was actually months ago.  Lots of them.  And today she wasn't testing our equipment, she was pointing out our lack of baby proofing (yes, folks, the outlet covers are not going to cut it).  She gleefully traversed the entirety of our house, graciously pointing out flaws as she went.  It went something like this "oh, I guess the crystal can't go on that shelf" and "wait, did you close the bathroom door?" and "whoa, I didn't realize how many cords were behind the TV, did you?"  Yes, we have our work cut out for us.  And with the way Calvin is going we had better get it done sooner rather than later.