Family walk.

It's so rare that Graham, Callum and I get to spend any family time together that I suggest a 'family walk' whenever possible. The other day we were privvy to such an event and it proved to be loads of fun!

I bundled up Callum in his new sweater and hat, and as you can see, he looks terribly stylish!



As soon as Graham and I put Callum in the swing he started laughing. If you're used to being around babies, you'll know that once they laugh you feel so light-hearted and important. It might sound a bit on the self-important side, but I don't really care! Graham was given the honour of pushing Callum on the swing. He prepped Callum for what was about to transpire.



There wasn't any need to tell Callum to hold on because he loves to hold on to, well, just about anything and always has done. He used to hang on to his infant car seat handle as soon as we strapped him in. Now he holds on to the shopping cart handle, or the stroller arms, whatever helps him feel more stable, he'll hold it! I'm not knockin' it though, at least we don't have to worry quite as much about him falling.



If you look really closely, you might be able to see Callum's top two teeth. One of them has grown in quite a bit and the other is madly pushing it's way through, much to Callum's displeasure. The good thing is, he has decided that Nutrios (the toddler version of Cheerios) are acceptable and he might actually consume around six of them per day! The bad thing is, now that he is using his front teeth to try and chew, he still uses them for smooth foods and then ends up grinding his teeth. I shudder at the mere thought of the sound - ack!



And this face folks is what makes it all worth while!



Over and out!
- Allison

9 months!

Trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house (more to come).

Gorgeous fall day with my gorgeous Callum.

I know, it's seems like forever.

Welcome back! It's been a long time since I have made a post, but to my credit, I have been very busy. Not to mention, Callum and I went away to visit my parents for a month. Excuses are now over and regular postings will resume.

Callum is now just over 9 months old and his stats are as follows:
20.4 pounds
2'4 1/2" tall

He is crawling forwards now, whereas for the last couple of months he was crawling backwards. I suppose he was really just pushing himself backwards, but I like to think he was experimenting with different methods of crawling before he decided to commit to a specific style.

Solid food is in the mix now, just as long as there are no lumps. Lumps mean gagging, coughing and eventually vomiting. It's really not a pretty sight and I'm sure it must just ruin his lunching experience. I don't exactly want to throw up at the table, but that's just me!

During out trip to see my parents Callum met the following family members (I will list them off as he would refer to them): Great Grandma and Great Grandpa; Great Uncle Fred and Great Aunt Judy; Great Uncle Ralph and Great Aunt Pauline; Great Aunt Doreen and 2nd Cousin (?) Kristen. Of course he has spent loads of time with his Grandma and Grandpa before so that was a really nice experience having Callum get to know them much better.

We all have our special games we play with Callum to make him smile. My Dad's being a silly game with the soother, where he takes the soother out of Callum's mouth using his mouth and this makes Callum laugh like crazy! Then he comes back towards Callum with the soother in his mouth to deposit it in Callum's mouth. It is hilarious!

My Mom invented the Hoochie Koochie dance and that was also a huge hit! She also taught him how to put a plastic ring on it's stand; that is a huge event in a baby's life!

My Grandpa discovered by accident that much like cats and dogs, Callum became very interested in the light reflecting off of Grandpa's watch onto the wall. This made for quite a few minutes of fun while Callum actively followed the light! Very funny!

All in all the trip was very successful and we all had a great time.

Callum is now occassionally pulling himself up on furniture, but still seems a bit freaked out. He has 3 teeth, well really 2.5 and they look so cute!

The next big decision is whether or not I will be going back to work. What a massively difficult decision this is to make. Financially we are okay if I don't go back, so really the decision is being made on whether or not I want to go back. I find it hard to believe that I will be okay with someone telling me what to do all the time, but I do miss some aspects of work without a doubt. I am going away to my parent's place for all of December, so I need to be respectful to my workplace and make the decision within the next month...ack!

I find it hard to think about leaving Callum with a total stranger to help bring him up when I am fully capable of staying home to raise him myself. I have put so much hard work into this first year of his life and it seems kind of weird to not share the more exciting times with him as he is able to have fun at the park, etc. Any opinions on the subject? I would love to hear what people have to say.

I need to go to bed!

- Allison