I DON'T LIKE BATHS!

Smiling and cooing

Alligator tears

Poor Calum. This afternoon he started getting fussy and it only got worse for him. He has a stuffy nose and sounds a little congested. He was restless all afternoon and wanted only to be held and quick access to his milk. We finally got him asleep at about 8:30 but I expect it will be a long and tiring night. Luckily, it's not that bad and he has no fever. It's hard though, seeing the little guy uncomfortable, especially when he cries and you see the little tears in his eyes. Wish us a quick recovery because we do have a trip to make at the end of the week.

The big trip

Well, we will be going up to Kamloops and Merritt this coming weekend. It will be Calum's first big trip. We are going to introduce him to Desiree and Dakota's family in Kamloops and he will get a visit in with all of our relatives in Merritt. I expect that a certain grandma and aunt will be spoiling him rotten. I only hope that I get the chance to hold the little guy for a few minutes because I think it will take a lot to pry him away from everyone else.

Calum is really growing. He's almost out of his smaller sleepers and t-shirts. We have finally graduated into the size 1 diapers - the newborn ones were getting tight around his legs but as he has a small bum the larger size was just too big. It's getting harder to fit him on my lap and I can only imagine the fun we will have as he grows. He's getting strong too. He can hold his head up a bit and has very strong legs. I knew he was nicknamed the Little Kicker for a reason.

As we were out looking for gifts for mothers day I realized that this year I am officially a mom. Being a step mom has been wonderful but until you go through the whole experience of pregnancy and giving birth I don't think you get the official title. While it will be awhile before I get hand made cards from Calum and presents with strange bits of pasta and glitter glued on I must say that I am looking forward to it all. I am eagerly awaiting his first finger painting and am contemplating how soon I can give him some paint and a brush for our first abstract. You can bet that it will be framed and put into my office.

All else is going well. Calum still sleeps in our bed, when he sleeps that is. He is a night owl and I am more than familiar with late night t.v. and the nightly schedules of our neighbours. I bet I can tell you everyone on our block that has insomnia and those who get up before the birds. Calum and I spend our days cuddling, reading books and playing. He sleeps a bit after mid-morning so I have a small window of opportunity to do some chores or get some sleep myself. He is really starting to smile and today I was sure I heard him say "Hi!". He's almost cooing now and we are really looking forward to when he starts laughing. Yeah, our boy is growing up already. I almost miss the little guy we took home from the hospital.

We will have more pictures after our trip so check back next week. Until then, take care.

Grandma!

Uncle Grant is funny...Auntie Jen agrees

Don't wake me!

Oh Grandpa!

Amanda saying hello

Miles of Smiles

Calum is a very happy boy this morning [except for when he had to take a bath]. He's been especially generous with the smiles. It's going to be a good day! Look for more pictures next week.

He's Official

We received Calum's birth certificates last week. We ordered two - the large certificate for official purposes and the smaller wallet size one. The small one is getting really cheap looking. The paper quality is even worse than it used to be and forget about the plastic coverings we had on ours when we were born. It now comes with a little paper sleeve that you can use as a protective covering. I'm not impressed. It is neat seeing Calum's name in print though. He's stuck with it now. So much for changing it to "Sal". Guess he can blame his dad if he doesn't like it because he mailed off the registration information.

Next month we will apply for a passport for him. I need a new one and the girls need their first ones too. With new border restrictions for US travel it would be a good idea to get used to the idea of always having a passport around. We hope to make Calum into a little globe trotter so we may need one before he gets too old. He took his first bigger trip yesterday - to IKEA. Look out world, once you've conquered IKEA [dodging shoppers with the blank IKEA stare, navigating over-crowded aisles, and found your 3-box furniture in a box] you are ready for anything!

I'm supposed to be busy on my GST returns today while Don watches Calum so I'd better get to it. Now all I've got to do is find a few months worth of receipts on my very messy desk. The sad part is that I'm not figuring out how much I will get back from the government but rather how much I get to pay them. Tax time coming up too - the fun never ends.

A nervous disposition

We have discovered that our tough little guy has a bit of a nervous disposition. He startles very easily, gets very concerned if he is not being cuddled "just so" and needs lots of snuggles. Today, he got very upset when we opened the door to let the cat in and out because there was a bit of a breeze that came in. It's not a nice thing, that breeze. At night, he gets a little lip quiver going and a leg shaking thing when I pick him up and take him into the living room so we don't disturb Don. It's almost as though he is a bit afraid of the dark. Oh, and don't even mention a bath. He's not happy unless I have him held to my chest, soaking myself in the process, as I gently [but quickly] wash him. He has a look that Don calls his Far Side Look - it's a little O-shaped pursing of the lips with a hint of concern in his eyes. I just think that it's funny.

I'm sure he will grow out of this, and he does have his more mischievous side, but it's nice to know we don't have a little bruiser this early in the game. As much as I am unable to get anything else done during the day because I am too busy cuddling, already I am learning to appreciate how quickly things will change. As you can see from our photos, he is growing up so much already and I'm sure it won't be long before he will be pushing me away. I guess that I'd better enjoy it while I can.

Tomorrow we may venture to the VPL book sale. I suspect all of the kids books are gone but you can usually get some good local histories. It will all depend on whether or not we get any sleep tonight. Last night we were awake from 2 am on and while Calum got in some naps today, I did not. Let's hope he sleeps a bit better tonight.

I'm more alert and stronger!

Look what happens when I'm left with my sisters!

More tests

Calum had his hearing test yesterday with mixed results. He is really too young to test his hearing but you can test to see if his ears are working properly. There were two tests - one to test for response to different frequencies and one to test the response of the ear drum to different pressures. His right ear didn't respond to changes in frequencies. When we tried the second test to determine if it was an inner or middle ear problem we couldn't get the machine to test properly so we aren't entirely sure about the results but the audiologist thinks it could be a middle ear problem - likely fluid build up - in which case it would be a temporary thing. We have to go back on May 6th for more tests and go in on Monday to see if his doctor can see anything in the ear canal. It's not easy to test him at this age because his ears are so small and it's hard to get good results. When he gets older, they can do behavioural tests but that won't be till he can respond to sound.

This poor little guy sure has to go to see the doctor a lot. I guess all babies do but it seems like we go from appointment to appointment sometimes. Oh well, he was, as usual, a very well behaved little boy during his check up despite the fact that he had things shoved in his ear over and over again. Now last night, on the otherhand, he kept me up from about 1 am on. We were only in our bed for a total of 45 minutes. He has been napping nicely all afternoon and I have been grumpily trying to get things done while he sleeps. It looks like I will have to wait till Don gets back before I get any sleep because Dakota has just told me he is awake again. She wants to help by holding him but for her, that usually means picking him up for 5 minutes then passing him back to me. I love my little guy but sure could use some sleep today.

Happy rest-filled weekend everyone. Look for more pictures of Calum next week.

Under fire

It's happened to all of us and Calum is only three weeks old. The fact is the little guy has let loose on Angie, Desiree, Dakota and I...it is at the moment in the midst of that diaper change when it happens. Yes you guessed it, he lets loose a nice arcing flow of pee which has an uncanny ability to always hit the shirt you just put on! Angie is right, Calum is a little trickster and it is only going to get better.

Growning Boy

Calum now weighs 8lbs, 7oz. He gained 1lb in 9 days! I thought that he was getting a bit heavier. His check up went well and his doctor is very pleased with his growth. He won't have to go back to see her for 2 months. We did postpone the hearing test though because he wasn't a happy boy that day so we will have an appointment next week. This poor boy must be tired of all the doctors visits.

Because he was such a good boy yesterday we stopped at the new Bear Workshop store in the mall before going home. We made a new teddy bear for him but have yet to name it. Don and Dakota had some suggestions and I'm thinking it's a good thing I asked them otherwise the poor bear would have gotten one of Calum's other nicknames. I was thinking "Little Lovely" (can you guess who Big Lovely is?) or "Sweetie Baby". Yup, I don't think Calum is going to like the nicknames I've given him when he gets older. Mind you, I can always fall back on the "I-was-sick-for-eight-months" line and he will just have to accept it.

Calum and I had a busy week of sleeping and playing. He is much more alert now and stays awake for hours at a time. To keep him entertained we read books, practice sign language [only the words Calum and Mom right now], listen to music, make funny noises and our new favorite is to pretend that the exercise ball is a horse and to bounce, bounce, bounce. I know that they say that baby's don't smile when they are this young but I am convinced that he does. He has a very mischievous look about him a lot of the time so I know we will have a little trouble maker when he grows up. Mostly, he still likes to cuddle. As my sister and mom have told me, we have spoilt him already because he is only happy when he is in someone's arms. No crib for this kid, if he is napping he has to be held. I enjoy it most of the time but it sure makes it hard to get anything done.

No other news this week. Have a good weekend everyone.